Martinis and Mistletoe
by EvenAngelsFall22
Summary: Present-day fic, post election. With Rory back in Stars Hollow and Logan not far behind, the 12 Days of Christmas quickly become the 12 days of winning Rory back. Will these two be able to overcome everything that's happened in the last 2 years and have
1. Mr Grinch

**Title:** Martinis and Mistletoe

**Summary:** Present-day fic, post election. With Rory back in Stars Hollow and Logan not far behind, the 12 Days of Christmas quickly become the 12 days of winning Rory back. Will these two be able to overcome everything that's happened in the last 2 years and have a Holly Jolly Christmas? Or will Logan end up staying a Grinch well into 2010?

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**Prologue – Mr Grinch**

_You're a mean one, Mr Grinch.  
__You really a heel.  
__You're as cuddly as a cactus,  
__You're as charming as an eel.  
__Mr. Grinch ~Thurl Ravenscroft_

_November 27, 2009_

Of all of the places he had dreamed he could run into her at, the Wethersfield Country Club had not been at the top of the list. Hell, it hadn't even cracked the top ten, but here they both were, at their respective family's tables doing their best to ignore the fact that they were both in the same room for the first time in almost two years.

Honor was the one who noticed her first. Leaning over her husband's dinner plate to ask Logan, "Isn't that Rory Gilmore sitting over there?" He followed her gaze and sure enough, there she was, sitting with Richard and Emily at a table that was thankfully halfway across the room. He tried to look unaffected as he took a long swallow of the drink in his hand before answering his sister.

"It is," he affirmed before attempting to move the conversation back to the topic they had been discussing before Rory had been spotted. Honor however, either didn't notice his discomfort at the subject or just plain didn't care. He was willing to bet on the latter since she immediately leaned back over Josh's plate to proclaim how amazing Rory looked. Seeing the look on his face, Honor backed off slightly, going back to telling him about the trip she and Josh were planning on taking after the beginning of the new year. He thought maybe they would be able to finish dinner peacefully however a few minutes later she leaned toward him again.

"Have you seen her since..."

"No," Logan cut her off. "I haven't." He hadn't seen her since the day of her graduation and up until now, he had planned on keeping it that way.

"Huh." Honor took a sip of her wine and sat back. "Maybe you should go say hi?" she suggested. She laughed off the look he gave her with a wave of her hand and a pointed look. "Oh come on little brother, we both know you've been, how can I say this nicely?" She smirked. "Oh yes, I know! You've been an ass lately, Logan. A complete and total ass. Maybe a little female company is just what you need."

He grunted as he finished off his drink. "That, big sister, is the one thing I'm not lacking, but thank you for your concern." He was the one to reach over this time as he picked up her empty glass. "Looks like I'm not the only one who could use a refill. I'll be back." He left the table before Honor could say anything else.

Across the room Rory pretended not to watch as he pushed away from his own table and stalked over to the bar furthest away from her grandparents' table. When she had agreed to join Richard and Emily for dinner at the club, the last person she dreamed she'd lay eyes on was Logan. She hadn't actively thought about it, but realized she had assumed he would still be in California.

She had seen him almost the exact second that they had been seated at their own table. Granted, it had only been the back of his head, but even now, after all this time, she would have recognized him anywhere. A small knot had formed in the pit of her stomach in that moment, and over the course of dinner, it had slowly grown bigger. She had tried not to look at him, to not even _think_ about him, but it couldn't be helped. Her eyes continually wandered over to where he was sitting, willing him to notice she was there. She caught Honor pointing her out through the corner of her eye, and the tightness in her stomach only got worse as she caught sight of the look Logan gave her. After that, she had forced herself to only look over in his direction during lulls in the table conversation; a task she had failed miserably at.

"Rory dear, what on Earth is wrong?" Emily asked, her tone slightly scolding. "You're a million miles away." Her eyes followed Rory's and she frowned slightly. "I had no idea he was back in town," she murmured. "Are you okay?"

Rory turned back to her grandmother and smiled brightly. "I'm fine," she said quickly. She threw herself back into the conversation and pretended she wasn't watching his every move. As she chattered on nervously, she couldn't keep her eyes from wandering over to where he was. Ever watchful, Emily noticed and became determined to keep her as far away from him as she possibly could for the rest of the evening.

She looked amazing. Logan could admit that much as he watched her engage in conversation with several members of the DAR. For the briefest second, their eyes locked together from across the room before each of them diverted their gazes just as quickly as they had connected. He abruptly turned back to the bar and tipped the bartender for the drinks before carrying them back to his table.

Honor pounced on him before he sat down. "When are you going to go say hi?"

"I'm not," he said calmly. He sighed and looked her square in the eye. "Don't give me that look, Honor. There is no reason that I need to go talk to the girl who threw my engagement ring back in my face."

"There's every reason!" she protested. "Proper protocol dictates that we at least acknowledge old acquaintances from the past, especially during the holiday season, and _especially _at social events! It's just good breeding, Logan."

"You sound just like mom," he taunted her, enjoying the scowl that graced her features. It was enough to silence her briefly, and he turned toward Josh and started talking to him about the penthouse he and Honor had just purchased in New York City.

"Aren't you even a little bit curious as to why she's back in town?" Honor asked the minute there was a lull in the conversation.

"Drop it, Honor," he snapped. "I mean it. I don't want to talk to her."

Honor smirked. "Oh you are so not over her."

"Excuse me?"

"Look at you! You've been a wreck ever since I pointed her out to you. She's all you've been able to think about since you saw her."

"The only reason I'm thinking about her is because you won't stop talking about her!"

"So you are thinking about her!" Honor smiled triumphantly.

"I don't need this." Logan glared at her again and pushed his chair back. "I'm getting another drink. When I come back, I do not want another word about her said, understood?" He gave her another pointed look. "_Honor._"

She sighed. "Understood."

"Thank you." Logan walked away before she could say anything else.

From her own table, Rory watched as Logan again stalked away from his table. She could tell by the expression on his face that he was angry. She didn't have time to wonder what he could be angry about before Emily was pulling her over to a neighboring table, insistent on her meeting the grandson of one of her friends.

"Rory, have you ever met Aaron Westin? He's Mary Beth's eldest grandson, and we've been meaning to introduce the two of you for ages," Emily proclaimed as Aaron rose from his chair and extended his hand to her. Once the introduction had been made, Emily winked slyly at Rory and excused herself back to their table.

Aaron waited until Emily was out of earshot before leaning toward Rory. "You should probably know right now, I'm very happily engaged and have no interest in taking you out to dinner," he whispered conspiratorially.

Rory laughed in spite of herself. "Since we're being so honest with each other, you should probably know that I'm very happily single, and I had no idea my grandmother thought it was still appropriate to throw me at the family members of her dearest friends."

He laughed with her. "I'd say that you being introduced to me was more about keeping you away from your ex-boyfriend than anything else," he replied. His smile faded as he saw her face fall. "Ah, excuse me, that was probably horribly out of line for me to say."

"No," she said with a wave of your hand. "You're absolutely right about that. I had thought perhaps after two years, everyone would have forgotten about Logan and I."

He handed her a drink off of a passing tray and smiled sympathetically. "When you turn down Logan Huntzberger's proposal of marriage, it's not something so easily forgotten. Especially when back in the place that it happened."

"No, I suppose it's not," she agreed softly. Her eyes caught sight of Logan again, as he walked over to the bar once again.

Aaron smiled at her again. "It was lovely meeting you, Rory, but I do believe I see my fiance looking for me." They shared another smile and he walked away.

Taking a deep breath, she sidled up to him and leaned her elbows on the bar. Shooting a dazzling smile at the bartender, she asked for her drink, waiting for him to turn around before letting her smile drop. After a long uncomfortable pause where it became apparent Logan was not going to make the first move, she opened her mouth again. "So, are we really going to keep playing this game of hide and seek?" she asked, staring straight ahead at the rows of liquor bottles. "Or do you think we can manage a hello?"

He sighed. "Hello Rory."

"Hi Logan." Finally, she turned and looked at him. "I guess that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Could have been worse," he admitted. He regarded her lightly. "You look..." he shook his head and laughed. "You look exactly the same," he admitted.

"I'll take that as a good thing." She allowed he eyes to leave his. "You do too. Maybe a little blonder. California agrees with you."

"It does," he agreed. "But not as much as not marrying me agrees with you." He took a sip of his drink, watching her wince.

"Do you really want to go there?" she asked quietly. "After all this time, do you really want to bring that up?"

He shook his head. "No, no I don't, Rory. I really don't. Which is why I never wanted to see you again, but here you are." He shook his head again. "No Rory, I do not want to think about you turning down my marriage proposal. Not when I'm finally forgetting it ever happened."

She couldn't stop the snort of laughter that escaped her lips. "Yeah, I'd say you're doing a bang up job of that." She smiled at the bartender as he set her drink down in front of her. "I better get back to my table. Really good seeing you again, Logan." She didn't bother to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

"Always a pleasure," he shot back as she walked away.

Emily swooped in immediately as Rory sat back down at the table. "Why did you go over there?" she demanded. "You promised me you would stay away from him." She sighed. "I can tell by the look on your face that the conversation didn't go very well." She laid a hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"

Rory smiled slightly. "I'm fine, Grandma, thank you." She sighed as Emily continued on in her rant against Logan. After a few minutes she finally interrupted her. "It's not entirely his fault, Grandma," she said tiredly with a long glance in Logan's direction.

"I was the one who said no."

Emily waved her hand dismissively. "That was two years ago, Rory! My God, do you think he's been spending all of this time pining for you? Because I have news for you, young lady, he was not. Men like Logan don't waste any time with these things, and the minute you walked away, I am sure he found someone else to keep him company."

"He's here by himself, Grandma," Rory snapped.

"And that matters how?" Emily gave her a hard look. "Rory dear, you are better than this! Do not let yourself get wrapped up in sentimental history. What good would it do you now?"

Rory took a deep breath and attempted a reassuring smile. "None. I merely said hi to him, Grandma. It had to be done sooner or later, and now that it's done, I can go on with my night peacefully."

"Rory? It's been _ages_ since I've seen you!" Honor appeared at her elbow with a bright smile on her face and a half empty glass in her hand. Rory had been on enough double dates with the girl to know that she had more than a couple of drinks in her.

"Honor, how are you?" she asked as she leaned in to kiss the blonde's cheek. "I saw Josh earlier, I trust things are going well with the two of you?"

"Fantastically well!" Honor proclaimed. "We are still blissfully so in love and I simply can't imagine life without him." Discretely, she pulled Rory away from Emily and walked with her a couple of yards away. "I need to talk to you," she said, her voice dropping a couple of notches. "About Logan."

Rory sighed and smiled patiently. "Honor, really, there's nothing to say."

"There is!" she insisted. "There's so much to say. Rory, he won't tell you himself, and he'll kill me for even saying this to you, but he's miserable. He's been miserable for the last two years and tonight when he first saw you were here? He hasn't been able to focus on anything but you since!"

"Honor, I don't know what you want me to say." She shrugged. "We talked briefly, it happened exactly as I imagined it would, and that's all there is to it. I don't have anything else to say to him."

"What if he has something to say to you?" Honor pressed.

She shrugged. "Then that's his problem, and not mine. He knows how to reach me, he just doesn't want to. And really, that's quite alright with me." She noticed Emily's impatient stare at her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my grandmother is waiting." She smiled again, genuinely this time. "It was really nice to see you again, Honor. Happy holidays." She walked away.

"Damn it." Honor sighed and finished the rest of her drink. That didn't go at all how she had planned, and if she was going to get those two crazy kids together, she was going to need a much better plan. Clearly, both were still hurting over the events of two years ago even though they both protested. To Honor, this meant only one thing. They were still in love with each other.

They just wouldn't see it.

Across the room, Logan watched as his sister and his ex-girlfriend talked. He could only imagine what they were talking about, but by the look on Rory's face, she wasn't buying whatever it was that Honor was selling. He waited until Rory stalked away from her before confronting her on his own.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked, grabbing Honor's elbow and turning her around. "I thought I told you to leave things be!"

She shrugged. "So? When have I ever listened to you? I was merely talking to an old friend. I didn't know I wasn't allowed to say hi."

"If you would have said hi and left it at that, that would have been fine but we both know damn well that's not what happened." He looked her square in the eye. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about little brother." She smiled lightly at him and went to find her husband. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched smugly as Logan debated with himself for a moment before walking in the same direction that Rory was standing. Tucking her hand in Josh's arm, she smiled satisfactorily and joined in on his conversation with some friends from school.

Maybe it wouldn't be so difficult after all. Maybe her push was all they needed.

Logan groaned and finished the drink that was in his hand. He really hadn't planned on drinking so much at dinner, but given the current circumstances, he felt he hadn't drank nearly enough. He was standing next to her again at the bar before he realized it, this time; however, there was no tension between them, only resignation.

She had felt rather than saw him come up next to her and held her breath. The only thing she needed right now was another drink, she wasn't looking for another confrontation. They didn't bother to acknowledge each other this time, just waited patiently for their drinks.

The bartender set their drinks down at the same time and before he could think better of it, Logan grabbed both of them and gestured to an empty table nearby. "How about I stop being an ass and you drop the sarcasm and we attempt to have a decent conversation?" he asked. She hesitated for a second but then nodded and they sat down, facing each other from opposite ends of the table.

"So," he said after a miserably long moment of silence. "I saw some of your election pieces, and a couple post-election, but I haven't seen much since then." He laughed as she raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm a Huntzberger, I'm supposed to keep up on current events." She nodded. "So how did you enjoy the campaign trail? Have you bought yourself a bus to ride around in just for fun?"

Her eyes lit up at the mention of work. "It was crazy," she agreed. "But I loved every minute of it. That being said though, I'm extremely thrilled that it's over. If I'm never on a bus ever again, I'll be a happy girl."

"What are you going to do now? Are you still running government pieces?"

She shook her head. "Oh no. I'll admit, a year on the road was incredibly taxing and draining and then I was in Washington for a couple of months and it's not really for me." She shrugged. "So, I'm taking some much needed rest and relaxation now. I plan on really focusing on my next career move after the first of the year. Right now I'm freelancing a few pieces and seeing what's out there."

He nodded. "Time off is nice. I can't remember my last break from work before Thanksgiving. And even now, I'm due back first thing Monday morning."

She laughed. "Always on the go, I know what that's like." She sighed and took a long sip of her drink. "This is horribly awkward, isn't it?"

"It really is." He couldn't argue with her. After two years of not speaking, he was finding it incredibly hard to come up with anything to say to her.

"You know what I miss?" Rory blurted out suddenly.

"What?" he asked cautiously, as he took another drink.

"The pub," she said with a sigh. "I haven't been there since college, and every time I'm in town I say I should go, and then I never do."

He finished his drink and pushed back his chair before he could think better of it. "What's stopping us now?" he asked. "I haven't been there in ages."

She laughed. "Be serious Logan. We can't just up and leave."

"Why not? You can't tell me you'd rather hang around here for dessert and cigars. Come on, let's go rediscover New Haven." He winked and leaned across the table. "I promise you it can't get get any more awkward than this."

She leaned back in her chair and he saw the consideration in her eyes as she looked around the room, purposefully ignoring the death glare Emily was sending their way. He knew he had her when she picked up her glass and drained it in two big gulps.

"What the hell?" she said as she pushed her chair back. "We're already the talk of the town tonight, we may as well give them something real to gossip about."

"Rory!" He did his best to look offended.

"Oh shut up," she said with a laugh. "I meant the sight of us leaving together and nothing else."

"Sure sure, you say that now."

"Let's go," she said, ignoring him.

He grinned at her. "Grab your things and I'll go get my car and meet you out front." They left the dining room together, purposely ignoring the horrified and delighted stares of Emily and Honor, respectively.

Thirty minutes later they were in New Haven. It was a mild night so Logan parked the car a few blocks away and suggested they walk the the rest of the way. He was surprised with how readily she agreed.

Unfortunately when they reached the Rich Man's Shoe they were greeted by a sign telling them that the bar was closed for renovations and would not be open for the next two weeks. Not wanting to waste the opportunity to rediscover their old town, Logan quickly came up with a new plan. He dragged her into a deli and to her amusement, purchased a bottle of red wine and some chocolate.

"What?" he asked, seeing her laughing at him as they walked back out of the store.

"Oh nothing," she said, taking a piece of the chocolate that he offered her. "It's just that I didn't think I'd ever see you walking around downtown New Haven with a twist off cap bottle of wine."

"It is classy, isn't it?" he asked with a laugh.

"Very," she agreed, taking the bottle from him and raising it to her lips. She handed it back to him and they continued walking. "So tell me about you? What has the great Logan Huntzberger been doing for the last two years?"

He laughed, taking a drink from the wine bottle himself. "A little bit of everything, actually," he admitted. He took another longer drink and then looked her square in the eye. "I'm back working for my dad," he said quickly. "Don't laugh," he protested. "It's not as bad as it sounds."

"It's not as bad as it sounds? Why Logan, could it be that Peter Pan is finally growing up?" Rory mocked.

"Shut up."

"No really, that's great that your back with HPG," she said seriously. "As long as you're enjoying it. Are you enjoying it?"

"I am," he agreed. "I'm running things from San Francisco so I'm far enough way from my Dad that we don't get on each others' nerves. He's actually happy with the work I'm doing." He laughed at Rory's look of surprise. "I know, right? So because he's happy, I've been getting more and more responsibility thrown at me, and that's why I'm due back in the office first thing Monday morning." Logan shrugged. "I can't complain too much, I guess."

"Are you happy?"

He was silent for a moment. "For the most part I am," he said finally. "Are you?"

"For the most part," she said agreeably. They walked in a comfortable silence for a few moments.

"I really miss this town," Rory reflected as they turned a corner and headed down a side street. "I think this is the one place besides Stars Hollow where I've been truly happy."

"Even at Paris's walk up?"

"Even there!" Rory sighed and tucked her arm through his as they walked along. "How did we end up here?" she asked softly a few minutes later.

Logan knew exactly where they were. "The loft."

Rory let go of his arm and sat down on the front steps. "Who do you think lives up there now?" she asked, craning her head up toward where they used to live.

He sat down next to her. "No clue," he said truthfully. When he had left New Haven, he had moved everything out with the help of movers and left it up to his father's realtor to sell the place. He hadn't bothered to ask any questions.

She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling. "What ever happened to Henry?" she asked with a laugh.

Logan laughed with her. "Henry is very happy in California," he assured her. "He's got a great tan."

"Good." Before she could stop herself, her head brushed against his shoulder. She caught herself and straightened up. "I'm happy I ran into you tonight," she said honestly.

Logan looked at her for what seemed like a long time. Underneath the street lamp, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright, the effect of both the cold and the alcohol. She looked beautiful. Before he could change his mind he kissed her. He didn't think, he simply just leaned in and captured her mouth with his. When she didn't pull away, he took it as permission to move closer and wrap her in his arms. In a second, she was kissing him back, tentatively and sweetly. After a few moments they both pulled away and stared at each other.

Rory was the first to crack a smile. "What should we blame? she asked softly. "The alcohol or the nostalgia?"

He sighed. "Both." Standing up, he pulled her to her feet as well. "It's getting late, I should get you home."

She nodded and they began the trek back to his car. "I'm not ready for tonight to end," she admitted.

"Well there's always one thing we could do," he said suggestively.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not that drunk, Huntzberger."

He laughed. "Coffee," he clarified. "What do you say, Ace? A nightcap at my hotel and then I'll get you home safe?"

She was startled at the ease in which her old nickname fell from his lips. Warmth spread through her quickly as she found herself nodding in agreement. The drive to the hotel was mostly quiet, as was the elevator ride up to his room.

Rory kicked her heels off the second he closed the door behind them, happy to be rid of them for the first time all day. She watched as Logan moved around the suite; taking his tie off, throwing his jacket across an armchair. She noticed that his hair was slightly mussed from the wind outside.

There was no denying the fact that right now, more than anything, Rory wanted Logan. Her body was still tingling from their kiss on their old doorstep and she couldn't stop wondering what would happen if she kissed him again. She swallowed hard, trying to sober up before she did anything foolish. She knew exactly what would happen.

Logan watched her, watched as her face flushed and he knew she was fighting the same battle he was. He wanted her and he didn't care what it would mean in the morning. "Rory," he said hoarsely.

Her blue eyes snapped up to his and she took a deep breath. "Forget the coffee," she whispered. Her bare feet made no noise as she crossed the room, meeting him halfway. This time she was the one to kiss him first, to wrap her arms tightly around his neck. There was nothing sweet or tentative about this kiss as he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He carried her toward the bedroom, unzipping her dress as they went. They fell onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and discarded clothing.

Rory was the first to open her eyes the next morning. For a moment she had no idea where she was; then she felt the arms wrapped firmly around her and the legs entwined with hers and she remembered. She closed her eyes again and inhaled against his bare chest, trying desperately to make sense of what had happened just hours before.

_Her eyes fell shut as he moved inside her. It was exactly how she remembered it to be and still completely unlike anything she had experienced before. Her fingers traced outlines against his skin as he shifted above her, settling them into a practiced rhythm she was startled to realize not only that she remembered it well, but more importantly, how familiar it was. Until now, she hadn't realized how thoroughly she had missed Logan. Yes, she had missed him but she was just now recognizing the depths of how much. It wasn't just because of the incredibly mind-blowing sex they used to have either, but rather, the look in his eyes when he looked at her. She hadn't seen it when they had first run into each other earlier that night, but now, gazing up at him through lidded eyes, it was back. The intensity in his eyes sent a shiver through her and she curved a hand behind his neck, trying to bring his mouth back down to hers._

_"I love you."_

_The words were out just as her lips connected with his and for an instant, she was positive she had imagined it. She had to have imagined it, it was the only possible explanation. Then she felt his body freeze under her hands and she knew. It wasn't an intoxicated delusion._

_She coaxed him on, urged him to relax against her as she kissed him. It worked, and whether he chose to ignore the moment or if it was temporarily forgotten, they didn't care. Her heart was pounding as he rolled them over and as she looked down at him she was startled to still see his eyes on hers. She looked down, trying to focus on anything but the look in his eyes. She stared at her fingers splayed across his shoulders, at the broad expanse of his chest, and back up at his lips. She couldn't keep her eyes from his then, and she was surprised at the smile that threatened to cross her face, biting down hard at the inside of her cheek, trying not to give anything away, to not ruin the moment. All the while, the same thought kept racing through her mind._

_He still loved her._

So she hadn't acknowledged what he had said. The shock had been in evident in his eyes even as he spoke the words, and she wasn't eager to ruin the moment by pausing to discuss the ramifications of such a loaded statement. It was easier to let it go, to assume the words came out of habit and to not give them another thought just then. It was easier to pretend it never happened. She was just realizing now what a big mistake her cowardice had been.

What had she been thinking? The whole night was one big mistake from the first drink. She had gotten so caught up in their reminiscing that of course it had seemed like the most natural thing in the world to fall into bed with him.

Now she just needed to figure out how to get out.

Logan had felt her wake up, her body tensing briefly against his. He had been up for the last half hour, weighing the consequences of what had transpired the night before. How could he have been such an idiot? Up until twelve hours ago he had had no intention of ever laying eyes on her again, let alone doing any of the things he'd done to her last night. She had humiliated him once in the past, he'd be damned if he let her do it again but he could see that was what was about to happen. All because he couldn't keep his damn mouth shut. And where the hell had those words even come from in the first place?

In spite of his pride, he had enjoyed last night. He was happy that they had run into each other, thankful for the chance to catch up with her, and lose some of the animosity he had felt toward her. Before now, he hadn't given himself the chance to miss her and now he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep from doing so from now on. His head throbbed as he realized he had meant what he had said. He had no idea what to do.

Rory sighed into his chest and chuckled softly. "Neither of us has gotten any better at pretending to be asleep," she murmured.

"We really haven't," he agreed. He ran a hand down her back and over the soft curve of her bottom before reluctantly untangling his body from hers. "Hi," he said as he met her gaze.

"Hi," she said softly. It wasn't so easy to look at him in the harsh light of day and she averted her eyes quickly. "So... we're really good at this whole awkward thing though."

Logan sighed. "Let's just throw it out there, Rory. What does this all mean now?"

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "Logan, I had no idea I'd run into you last night. Never in a million years did I ever dream any of this was going to happen. In fact, if anyone would have told me we'd be lying here right now I would have laughed in their face."

Unwillingly, Logan flinched. "Well, it did happen. All of it." He stared at her hard, daring her to throw his declaration back in his face.

"I know, but it doesn't mean I know what any of it means." She sighed again and rolled away from him. "Last night was incredible Logan, every single second of it. I'm so happy that we ran into each other--"

"But?"

She shook her head helplessly. "But I'm still me and you're still you. We still live on opposite ends of the country. I'm still..." _The girl who fell in love with you. "_Still not sure what I want. I just know..."

"That I'm not the one you want. You just know that we'll never work out." He threw the blankets off of them and got out of bed.

"Logan, come on," she protested softly. "What did you expect? That we would fall into bed together and wake up blissfully in love again and live happily ever after?"

"Right, because that would have terrible," Logan muttered sarcastically as he threw a t-shirt on. He was quickly losing control of a situation he had no desire to be in but he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth. He needed to get a grip. He needed to remember the past two years and not just the last night.

Rory sat up and watched him, still unsure of how he was taking the events of last night. "Logan, I'm sorry." She didn't want to know. She wasn't sure she could handle knowing what she suspected to be the case. It was easier to make a quick getaway and forget it all.

"For what?"

"For this..." she gestured around. "I'm sorry, I just assumed, with the reminiscing, with the alcohol..." her voice trailed off. "I didn't know that you still--"

"That what?" He turned to her coldly. "There's nothing to be sorry for Rory. Last night is what it is. Two old lovers fucking for old time's sake because why the hell not? What else were we supposed to do?"

"Logan..." His words cut deep.

"No," he cut her off again. "We don't need to talk about this anymore. I have to be at my dad's soon so I'm going to get in the shower." He handed her his phone. "That's my driver's number, you can call him and he'll take you home."

"How will you get to your dad's?" she asked weakly, drawing the bedsheets even tighter around her.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine." He crossed the room before turning back to her. "It's been fun, Rory."

"Is this how you really want to leave things?" She got out of the bed and walked over to him. "Really?"

He shrugged. "You said so yourself. It was fun, nothing more." He handed her her dress. "See ya around, _Ace._" He used the term mockingly as he closed the bathroom door behind him, leaving her alone in the suite.

Well, she thought as she quickly got dressed and fled the room. At least she had her answer.


	2. Christmas When You Were Mine

**Author's Note: **Guys, I am loving the response to this story already! For those of you who wondered if the story was done after the last chapter, oh no. We're just getting started. This story has 14 chapters from start to finish; and I plan on finishing posting sometime just after the beginning of the New Year, so please, come along for the ride! You'll notice each chapter title is taken from some of my favorite Christmas songs, so I will be giving credit where credit is due in that concern.

Again, thank you for the feedback on the last chapter. Reviews, though never required are always appreciated! Hopefully you enjoy this chapter just as much.

* * *

**Chapter One - Christmas When You Were Mine**

_Please take down the mistletoe  
Cause I don't wanna think about that right now  
Cause everything I want is miles away  
In a snow covered little town_ ~_Taylor Swift_

_December 13, 2009_

"So as the report indicates, circulation is clearly down in the Midwest. That's where we need to concentrate our efforts right now."

Logan murmured and kept his eyes down on his own notepad, busily writing. The other man took the sound as encouragement to keep going and so he did just that, talking enthusiastically about the business plan he had come up with.

This was how all of Logan's meetings had gone in the last two weeks. He had paid minimal attention, let the others carry on the conversation, and then when it was all over, thanked them for their ideas, took his assistant's notes and made his decision from behind the closed doors of his office. Usually going with whatever he had planned on before the meeting had even transpired.

His mood had not gone unnoticed by his staff either. When he had left for the Thanksgiving holiday, he had been a force to be reckoned with. Logan Huntzberger in all his glory. Ever the ladies' man, the girls in the building had been no stranger to his charming ways. He was exceptionally unlike Mitchum in that he was seemingly pleasant and cheerful most of the time, and everyone, from the lowest copy editor to the highest accounting executive had welcomed the chance to work with him.

Now they ran the other way. Since coming back from the holiday, no one had seen him crack a smile. He would enter his office first thing in the morning, close the door and not emerge until hours after everyone else had gone home for the day. Mitchum was pleased, to say the least. As far as he knew, Logan was shaping up to be his father's son after all, and the work was exceptional.

Work was the least of Logan's worries. The work came and went easily, and his staff was competent enough to not need a babysitter. He showed up for the required meetings and business dinners, like the one he was on right now, but beyond that, his focus was elsewhere.

"Don't you agree, Logan?"

His head snapped up from his notes. He shot a decisive nod at the other man. "Everything sounds great, Ted. When can we expect phase one?" As soon as Ted was off on another tangent, Logan turned his attention back to his notepad.

It was a pro-con list. He almost had to laugh at the irony of it. Never before would he have used such a list to sort something of this caliber out, but it was just one of the many traits he had picked up from her. And honestly, what better way to sort out their relationship than with a pro-con list? If he knew anything, he was certain she had one or twelve of her own on the very same topic.

This was currently the fifth pro-con list about Rory he had made in the past week. Each had led him to a new and different conclusion on either what had gone wrong with them.

His eyes kept pulling back to one item he had listed on the con side of this list. He nodded and muttered a response to something Ted had just asked him and pretended to write something down on what Ted assumed to be work notes.

_Con: She didn't want to marry me._

Something kept gnawing at him about this and he kept going back to it. He sensed that Ted was wrapping up his pitch so he turned his eyes to him expectantly and waited.

"Ted, good work," he said briskly. "I knew I could count on you." He stood and shook the other man's hand. "Type up your report and have it in my inbox by the beginning of next week." The other man left and Logan dropped back into his seat, taking a long drink from the watered down scotch that sat to the left of his briefcase. He tapped his pen against the notepad as he stared down at it again.

"Is that a candy cane in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

Logan turned sideways in his chair to face his new table partner. "Excuse me?" he asked, half a smirk playing on his face in spite of himself.

She laughed easily. "That was bad, wasn't it?" she agreed. "But I've been watching you ever since your meeting started and you've been sitting here looking like you lost your best friend. And I wasn't having much luck tonight so I thought, well hell!" She shrugged. "Why not come on over and try and cheer you up?"

Logan looked her up and down, taking in the sexy red cocktail dress, the strappy heels, the perfectly manicured nails and hair. "I appreciate the effort but I'm not really looking for company tonight."

She waved her hand and leaned forward. "I'm off the clock, don't worry about that. Consider this just friendly conversation." She leaned back in her chair expectantly. "So what's up? Why so glum, sugarplum?"

This time he did laugh. "Just not into the holidays this year," he admitted. "And the holidays are..." he gestured around at the trees and the lights and the glitter. "Everywhere."

"Yeah, it does kind of look like the whole month of December threw up in here," she said with a look around. She nudged his shoulder lightly. "But don't lie to me. Everyone loves the holidays so nope, that's not what's putting that frown on your face. I know what it is." She pointed one French-tipped finger at him. "You, Mr. Grinch, have girl troubles written all over you. Am I right?"

He stared at her for a moment. "I suppose you are," he admitted. "Can I buy you a drink..."

"Holly," she supplied with a smirk that matched his. "And I would love a gin and tonic."

"Holly," he repeated. "How festive."

"Isn't it?" she exclaimed with a smile. She waited until he ordered her drink from a passing server before continuing. "But enough about me. Tell Holly all about your girl troubles."

"There's nothing to tell," he said with a shrug.

"Mmhmm. Tell me this..." she paused expectantly.

"Logan."

"Tell me this, Logan. How can you be such a brilliant businessman if you're such a terrible liar?" Holly teased.

"I never said I as a brilliant businessman," he pointed out. "I might just think I look really good in a suit."

"You do look really good in a suit," Holly agreed. "But come on!" She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. "Tell me all about her."

He was silent for a second as the server brought their drinks over. Holly raised her glass to his. He looked down one last time at the list and with a shrug he slid it toward her as he clinked his glass against hers. Before he knew it, Logan was telling Holly the holiday hooker all about Rory and their disastrous last encounter.

"Oh Logan." Holly frowned as he finished his story. "Tell me you did not treat the love of your life like some cheap one night stand."

"She's not the love of my life," he said, irritated. "And that's exactly what I did. It's what she wanted."

"Oh don't give me that! You know damn well that wasn't what she wanted and you knew damn well that's what would hurt her the most!" She clapped her hands three times, sharply. "Well done, Casanova, well done."

"So what if I hurt her?" he asked suddenly. "I guess that would make us even then, wouldn't it?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were still in the fifth grade," Holly shot back. She shook her head and raised her eyes heavenward. "Why is it that every single man on Earth is too proud to admit when he's wrong and throw caution to wind to go after what he really wants?"

"What I really want is to forget I ever ran into her again," he lied. He was surprised when his own words stung him.

Holly laughed. "Oh yeah, I really believe that one. Just like I believe you didn't mean it when you said you loved her." She sighed. "You want some advice, Grinchy?"

"Not really."

"Good, because here's what I think. You're still in love with her, you poor pathetic sap!" He began to protest but she held her hands up. "No, let me finish. You are. You're clearly in love with her. Maybe you thought you were over her, maybe you thought you were far enough detached from her to even just fuck her brains out and go about your merry little way the next day." Holly shrugged. "You weren't, and you aren't." She looked at him sympathetically. "It happens, you know? Once you meet the one, you don't ever forget."

"I thought hookers didn't believe in true love."

She wagged a finger at him playfully. "Escort, thank you. And what can I say?" She lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug. "Even hookers can believe there's someone special out there for them. We just haven't found him yet."

Logan stared deep into his drink for a long time, letting her words sink into him. "The one, eh?"

"The one," she repeated firmly. She grabbed the notepad from him again and hastily wrote something on it before passing it back to him. She pushed her chair back and picked her purse up from the table. "Don't wait too long to tell her," she warned. "Or you'll end up being a Grinch long past Christmas." She stood to leave as he read what she had writen.

"Holly, wait." He slid a one hundred dollar bill into her hand and smiled slightly. "Thanks."

She smiled back and gave him a quick nod. "Merry Christmas, Logan."

He sat at the table long after she had left, mulling her words over. On one hand, Holly had been right. On some level, he was still in love with Rory, but that was to be expected, he reasoned. He hadn't broken up with her in the first place because they had fallen out of love. Over the past two years though, he'd shelved those feelings, which is what he was supposed to do. And while he had done very well with pushing those emotions down long enough to nearly forget about them, seeing her last month had definitely thrown his life upside down. Despite his last words to her at the hotel, over the last sixteen days she had slowly but surely worked her way back into his thoughts until most of his time was consumed with wondering what she was doing and if she was okay and replaying their night together over and over in his mind.

On the other hand, was he really going to take the advice of some hotel lounge hooker?

_Coward,_ he thought to himself. It would be easy to dismiss the conversation he and Holly had just engaged in as cheap entertainment for the night and never think about it again. Except that he would. He knew himself well enough to know he would think about it every time he thought of Rory; and every time he would wonder if he had just given up on everything he had ever wanted.

No, what he needed was a third hand. Or another opinion. He stared at the phone lying next to his empty glass and he knew exactly who he needed to call. And he really, really didn't want to make that phone call.

"Honor? It's Logan. I need your advice." He stared down at the notepad again. Holly had scratched out a con and wrote pro over one of the lines before adding her own note to it and underlining it several times.

_She didn't want to marry me. Yet._

"About time, Logan!" Honor said as soon as Logan had finished his story. "Of course, I probably wouldn't have picked a drunken sexual accounter as the perfect time for an admission of love, but well, maybe it will work."

"It didn't," he said, already irritated that he had called her. "I was an ass, and we parted very not amicably. Which is why I'm calling you. What do I need to do now?"

It took Honor all of twenty minutes to get Logan booked on a morning flight to Connecticut and honestly, she was quite pleased with herself. Sure, Josh had shaken his head at her before spewing some nonsense about meddling sisters and the failure rate of her matchmaking skills. She merely shrugged him off and raised her wineglass to his in celebration. He had then gone off to watch the end of some football game and she sat in the study congratulating herself on a job well done.

Then she realized that this was Logan she was dealing with, and Logan was never one to follow a script, no matter how she had laid it out for him. Rory wasn't going to be so keen to roll over and comply either, now that she thought about it. No, she needed to bring in some reinforcements. She knew exactly who she needed to call.

* * *

_December 14, 2009_

"People, people!" Taylor's voice could barely be heard over the shouts of the townspeople gathered at Miss Patty's for the meeting. "I know you have your concerns, but I know not one of you has forgotten the shame and the humiliation that was felt last year when Woodbury beat us in the Christmas Spirit award! I hardly think any of us wants a repeat of _that_." He visibly shuddered.

"You're insane!" Luke shouted over the rest, jabbing a finger in Taylor's face. "It is the middle of December, and _you _want to change the name of Main Street to Santa Claus Lane _for two weeks_? The mailman barely gets our mail delivered as it is, we won't see a damn piece if you do this!"

"I'm pretty sure it's illegal," Gypsy chimed in.

"I'm pretty sure it's just stupid," Lane added.

"There's no need for that kind of remark Lane," Taylor said disapprovingly. "You used to be such a nice girl." He turned back to the crowd. "Now really, it is a tricky situation, but I took the time to research this, and I happen to have the proper papers filled out, and with enough signatures on this petition, I am sure I can have the State authorities agreeing to this by, oh..." he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Wednesday at the very latest."

"You already sent the papers in, didn't you?" Jackson exclaimed. His accusation set off another round of shouting from the rest of the crowd.

Rory was at the back of the dance hall busily texting the happenings of the meeting to Lorelai, who was stuck at home with the flu.

_Santa Claus Lane, is he nuts? Did Luke freak? Is Taylor wearing a holiday sweater?_

She laughed, holding up her phone to take a picture of Taylor's snowman sweater as he gesticulated wildly from the podium.

"In addition to the re-naming of Main Street, I would also like for everyone to consider changing the name of the town square to Winter Wonderland for the remainder of the winter season," Taylor announced over the crowd again.

"We're not renaming Main Street, Taylor!"

Taylor shrugged again dismissively. "Quite honestly, this town's lack of holiday spirit saddens me and frankly, I was only asking to be polite. The decision is actually up to the Stars Hollow Holiday Board of Directors and it's already been decided."

"You just made that up!" Andrew protested.

_Ok, that sweater is priceless. Can you get some audio of the meeting? Maybe some video?_

Rory was in the middle of responding to the text when she felt someone slide into the seat next to her. Not bothering to glance up, she continued on with her texting until the person next to her cleared his throat softly. Startled, she looked up to see Logan sitting next to her, a smirk on his face as he clearly enjoyed her reaction.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed quietly.

"I came to see you," he whispered back loudly. "And as I was heading to your house, I saw there was a meeting going on, and I knew you'd be here." He jerked his head toward Taylor. "So, what's on the agenda today? You guys can be heard screaming all the way down by the diner."

"Taylor wants to rename Main Street for Christmas," she explained. "And then he wants to--no, wait? Logan! What are you doing here?"

He smiled easily at her. "I already told you, I came to see you." His smile faded. "I needed to talk to... I wanted to... to apologize about...before," he finished lamely.

She looked at him warily, noticing how he stumbled over his words. "Right. To apologize for what exactly? Being an ass?"

"For overreacting," he corrected. Then he shrugged. "And, for being an ass."

The text alert on her phone went off, bringing her back to her surroundings, and as she looked around, the meeting was still going on full force around them, no one had even realized Logan had walked in. She stood up and gestured for him to do the same before dragging him outside.

"I love that guy," Logan remarked, pointing at Taylor before Rory shut the door behind them.

"Yeah, he's great," Rory muttered distractedly. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Logan was actually standing in front of her. She wasn't even sure where she could take him so that they could talk. The diner was too public, Lorelai was sick at the house, and there weren't very many other places there in the Hollow.

"I want you back, Rory," Logan said quickly, catching her off guard.

Her head snapped up. Apparently, they were going to talk in the middle of the street. "You want me back," she echoed dumbly. "I... didn't know that was even an option on the table anymore?"

"It's not, but it should be. Why can't it be?" He nodded his head energetically. "Let's put it back on the table, Rory!"

She stared at him hard. "I need to sit down," she said, collapsing into the nearest park bench. "Okay, so let me see if I'm hearing this right," she said slowly. "You want me back and you're sorry for being a complete and total jackass to me hours after we slept together after not even seeing each other for two years? Is that what I'm hearing?"

"I wouldn't say a complete and _total_ jackass, but yeah, that's pretty much it," Logan confirmed with a nod. He sat down next to her.

"Right." She nodded back and closed her eyes. "Can I ask you a question then?"

"Of course. Ask me anything you want. Anything at all!"

"Are you crazy?" she exploded, jumping back to her feet and facing him. "Really? You think you can just show up out of nowhere and try to..." she stopped, completely baffled. "I don't even know what it is you think you're trying to do!"

"Rory--"

"No. No! You're going to sit there and listen to me. This is insane, Logan. _You're_ insane! Two weeks ago you all but told me you wanted nothing more to do with me."

"Actually, you were the one who said you didn't want that night to be anything more than it was," he pointed out. He ducked his head at the look she gave him. "I'm sorry, carry on." He tried to hide his smile but she saw it.

"Do you think this is funny?" she shrieked. "Seriously, Logan! What the hell am I supposed to think of all of this? I don't see or hear from you in two years. Two years Logan! And all of a sudden there you are, and _of course_ we fall into bed with each other because, _that's_ how you always try to fix things with us and then it all goes to hell once more. Once again, we're both right where we started. You're angry, I'm hurt, and we're both fucking miserable!"

"See, you're miserable too!" Logan jumped up from the bench as well. "Rory, I'm sorry. I am. I hate how I acted at Thanksgiving, but you didn't really give me much of a choice." He held up his hand. "I'm not saying it to be a jackass, I'm saying it because it's true. You told me straight out that it was all fun and games, but that it wasn't anything else. That it didn't mean anything else to you. How did you expect me to react?"

"I expected you to react exactly like you did, Logan!" she said furiously. "You treated me like any other girl you slept with and ditched the next day. You walked out of that bedroom and you didn't look back but you made it oh so crystal clear that you didn't want me there when you came back." She shook her head disgustedly. "Nothing has changed, Logan, you are still the same guy you were before we even met."

"You really believe that, don't you?" Logan shook his head. "Would that Logan have flown three thousand miles to see a girl he just tossed aside when he was done with?" He was satisfied when she didn't answer. "You know what I think? I think you're the one who's still exactly the same, Rory. You're the one running scared still."

Rory sat back down and studied her hands. "I _was_ scared," she admitted quietly. "I didn't know what you were expecting, or even if you were expecting anything and I reacted defensively. But that doesn't mean you had to take the bait, Logan." He sat next to her, closer than before, but she didn't move away from him.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you, Rory," he said honestly and she turned to look at him. She didn't speak or give him any indication that she didn't want to see where he was going with this so he continued talking. "I knew that you'd be gone when I came out of the shower that morning, and you had every right to be, but part of me hoped you'd still be there when I came back. I hated the things I said to you, and believe me, if I could make you forget that I said them, I would. But I'm telling you the truth now, Rory, I have not stopped thinking about you in the last two weeks. You are all I've been thinking about," he confessed.

"I've been thinking about you too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She gave him a small smile, and it was enough permission for him to keep going.

"So if we're both still thinking about each other, shouldn't we do something about it?" he persisted.

She sighed. "I don't know, Logan. It's not that simple."

"Isn't it?" His hand drifted towards hers. They both watched as it crept slowly from his thigh over to her own. He waited to see if she would move her hand away. She didn't. Carefully, his fingers began to curl under hers, his thumb brushing against her knuckles.

"Well Hells Bells, Colin! Maybe Santa doesn't need the help of his merry little elves after all!"

Rory snatched her hand out of Logan's grasp as she instinctively jerked away from him and looked up at the intruders. "You brought Colin and Finn with you?" she asked incredulously, slapping at his arm. "You brought them to Stars Hollow? Have you gone mad?" She hit his arm with each question. "Look at them!" Finn was wearing a green and white striped shirt and an elf hat, and appeared happy to do so. Colin, on the other hand, was glaring out at them from underneath his reindeer antlers adorned with bells.

Logan had already seen them, and although he wanted to laugh, he too was confused as to why there were there, and none too pleased that they had interrupted his and Rory's moment. "I didn't bring them with me," he said tightly. "But I'd like to know why they're here." He turned to them. "Colin, Finn, what the hell are you doing here?"

"We got word that you were coming here to win the little lady back," Finn explained. "High time too, if you ask me!"

"I didn't," Logan muttered. He looked back at Rory. "I have no idea how they found out I was here," he insisted. He turned back in time to watch as Finn tweaked Colin's red nose and practically fell over laughing.

"They're drunk!" she hissed at Logan. Finn raised a silver flask in acknowledgement. She eyed him suspiciously, not entirely believing he had nothing to do with them being there. "Are you drunk too?"

"No! I mean, I had a couple of drinks on the plane here, but I'm not drunk by any means." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them and he averted his eyes from hers. "You're kind of intimidating when you're angry at me, I needed those drinks!" he defended. He relaxed when he saw a hint of a smile in her eyes.

"That explains the babbling from when you first got here. Oh crap!" The meeting had apparently ended, as everyone was spilling out of Miss Patty's and consequently, gathering around the four of them. "Go!" Rory pushed Logan towards the guys. "Get them out of here before-"

"What the hell is going on here?" Luke asked, breaking through the rest of the crowd. "Do you need me to get rid of them Rory? I swear to God, if they're giving you a hard time, I'll-"

"Luke, it's okay," she said quickly. "I mean, it's not, but it is. I'm okay." She shook her head exasperatedly. Logan was trying to contain Colin and Finn, but once they realized they had an audience, there was no stopping them.

"We can't go!" Finn protested. "We have a skit! And if the skit isn't performed and Vixen finds out, we lose our elf ears!" He paused to take a drink from his flask. "Egg nog anybody?" He offered to the crowd. "No? Okay then, who here wants to see a skit."

"Excuse me!" Taylor moved to the front of the crowd. "I don't know who you young men are, but unless you have the proper permits to perform outdoor theater, there will be no skit of any kind! Do you have the proper permits, young man?" he looked at Colin expectantly.

"No," Colin scoffed. He turned to Finn. "Looks like we found Mr. Grinch though."

"But Honor said Logan was the Grinch." Finn looked confused as he turned back to the crowd. "Which one of you is the Grinch?"

"Honor!" Logan and Rory shared a look. It all made sense now. "Honor sent you here?"

"Her code name is Vixen." Finn took another drink from his flask. "Now, as I was saying, Vixen, called us in in case you needed reinforcements." Finn turned to Rory and kissed her on the cheek, smacking his lips loudly. "You're looking well, Love! That color red is gorgeous on you. So tell me, have you taken Logan's balls back yet?"

"What?" she screeched. There was a flurry of giggles from the crowd and Luke was at Rory's side again, his face turning redder by the second.

Finn smiled at her innocently. "His balls, Rory. Have you taken them back yet?"

"Yeah Rory, take back Logan's balls," Colin chimed in.

"I'm going to kill you both," Logan muttered under his breath.

"Not if I kill you first," Luke threatened.

"Stop!" Rory protested, holding Luke back and looking pleadingly at Logan. He looked at her helplessly as Finn and Colin broke away from him again and turned to the crowd. "Oh no."

"You people all know Rory," Finn addressed them. "Wouldn't you like to see her settled down and involved again? Instead of dying an old maid?"

"You did make such a cute couple," Miss Patty said, looking at Rory. "Didn't they, Babette?"

"Adorable couple!" Babette shouted. The crowd murmured in agreement much to Rory's disbelief.

"Exactly, they are an adorable couple!" Colin jumped in. "And it would be a shame for them to stay separated if they really wanted to be together!" He turned back to Rory and Logan. "Come on Rory, take back his balls!"

"Take back his balls, Rory!" Finn yelled. "Take back his balls!"

Much to Rory's horror, one by one, the entire town picked up on Colin and Finn's chant, until they were all urging her to take back Logan's balls. Everyone except for Luke and Taylor that is, and Rory was afraid Luke was about to punch the first guy he could get his hands on.

The chanting grew louder with each passing second and as Rory held Luke back and Logan tried to pull Colin and Finn away from the crowd, their eyes connected and Rory couldn't stop the laughter she had been holding in for the last few minutes and she bent over in a fit of giggles, trying to catch her breath.

"Like I said," she gasped through her laughter. "You haven't changed at all!"

"I had nothing to do with this!" Logan protested. He let go of Finn and Colin and walked towards her. She let go of Luke and he lunged after the guys. They were quicker than him, and ran around the circle the crowd had gathered, still leading them in their chant as they dodged in between people. "Rory, I swear, I didn't plan this, I had no idea they'd even be here! Please, you have to believe me."

She sighed. "I believe you. But Logan, you're still-"

"Completely crazy about you." He stepped closer to her, and dropped his voice so no one else could hear. "Relax, I"m not asking you to marry me. I'm asking you to give me a chance. Go on a couple of dates, see if we can rebuild what we had." He studied her face carefully, and though he could still see doubt in her eyes, it was definitely fading. "Please Rory?"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and before she could answer, her attention was drawn away by all of the commotion going on behind her. "Oh my god!"

"This must stop!" Taylor insisted. "Luke! Luke, grab them! I order you to make a citizen's arrest right now!"

"You arrest them, Taylor, I'm going to kill them!"

"Now Luke, be reasonable. I'm a very important man in this town. If one of those hoodlums were to injure me, Stars Hollow would fall apart! If they happened to hurt you, well, people would just have to make their own dinner. Catch them!"

"Luke, stop!" Rory protested. She moved to pull him away but Logan caught her arm and pulled her back to him.

"Who cares what happens to Colin and Finn?" he asked. "Let Luke and Taylor handle them, please, just hear me out, Rory. Give me another chance!" He smirked and leaned even closer. "You don't have to take the balls back just yet if you don't want to." She giggled in spite of herself. "But at least give me a chance to prove them worthy of you again. Two weeks," he proposed. "Give me two weeks to show you we can make this work again." He grabbed her hands in his and looked at her pleadingly. "Come on, what's two weeks?"

She bit her lower lip and looked around them. Colin and Finn were still being chased by Taylor and Luke, and the rest of the crowd was still chanting and cheering around them. In short, it was a madhouse of insanity and craziness and she had every reason in the world to be mortified, embarrassed, and damn pissed off.

And yet, she couldn't keep from smiling.

"Two weeks," she found herself agreeing reluctantly. She laughed as Logan dropped her hands and raised his fist victoriously in the air. The crowd broke out in cheers. "Two weeks, and if I'm not convinced, you leave me alone," she dictated.

"Yes, sure, whatever you want," Logan agreed. He would have agreed to any conditions she laid out, he was that confident he could win her over. They stood there smiling at each other for a second, completely oblivious to everyone around them until they heard Kirk scream as Finn grabbed him to use as a shield against Luke.

"Get them out of here!" Rory insisted with a grin, pushing Logan back towards them again. "Quick, before Luke actually does get to them!"

Luke grabbed Colin by an arm and Finn by his collar. "I'll call you tonight!" he shouted over the still-cheering crowd.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Luke muttered as he stood next to her again and watched Logan pull them away. Finn broke away once to shake Jackson's hand.

"I do know that," she agreed with a sigh.

He had almost gotten them out of the town square and Logan looked back at her once more. She was still watching them and he let his gaze linger. She looked breathtaking, her hair slightly messed from the wind, her cheeks rosy from both the cold and her laughter. He couldn't deny the way her sweater clung to her curves; his fingers itched to unwrap the soft scarf from around her neck. And then there were her eyes, just as blue as he remembered, though much brighter than before.

"Wait here," he commanded Colin and Finn, staring hard enough at them that they knew better than to move from their spots on the edge of the park. Kirk watched this and took the opportunity to approach the two.

"I'm very impressed by the show you two put on today, and would like to offer you protection against Taylor. You know, if you ever wanted to come back to town again." He looked at them hopefully.

Logan jogged lightly over to where Rory was still standing and she looked at him questioningly.

"Did you forget something?"

He nodded. "This." Grabbing her around the waist with one hand and supporting her neck with the other, he pulled her to him and dipped her dramatically. The cheering around them intensified, which Rory hadn't thought possible.

She rolled her eyes, looking up at him. She was still smiling. "Show off."

"Admit it, you love it." He leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips. He didn't care that her stepfather was watching, or that the whole town was watching for that matter. As her arms wrapped around his neck and she opened her mouth to his, he knew he would have kissed her the same way if it had been just the two of them standing there. He kissed her until he felt her legs buckle beneath her and he kept kissing her until he was sure she wouldn't be able to stand on her own. Then, he righted them back up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, removing his support completely.

"Mean," she said under her breath as she stumbled. He only winked at her and she found herself laughing again.

"Two weeks," he reminded her, before running back to collect Colin and Finn. As they walked away, Finn turned back to the crowd and threw his fist in the air.

"The candy cane is back in the stocking!" he crowed before Logan cuffed him on the back of the head and shoved him in his car.

"I so don't want to know," Luke growled.

"No Luke, you don't," she agreed, raising her fingers to her lips softy. She waved as they drove away and reluctantly turned to face the crowd behind her, who had gone completely silent. "Oh no."

Standing there in the center of the circle of people was Lorelai. Lorelai, looking as sick as could be, with her tangled and knotted hair and bright red nose. She had one of Luke's flannel shirts thrown over her pajamas, and in one hand, she clutched a wad of tissues and in the other, her cell phone. Though she was a short distance away, Rory could clearly see the Blackberry screen, and the grainy video footage of her and Logan's kiss. Instinctively, she turned and glared at Kirk, who immediately turned and ran down the street.

"Hi Mom," she said weakly.

Lorelai stared at her. "Care to fill Mommy in?" she asked before being distracted by a coughing fit.

Luke moved to her side, ordering her to get back to the house before she got even sicker. He motioned for Rory to follow them, as it was the only way Lorelai was going back inside. As she followed them, she heard a small commotion behind her and when she turned around, Miss Patty, Babette, and Gypsy were again congratulating her and applauding. Lorelai whipped her head around once more and they fell silent, the rest of the crowd dispersing now that the floor show was done.

"Mom, I can explain," Rory said once they were safely inside the house and away from intruding eyes. She glanced at Luke, but saw him giving her the same look Lorelai was. "You know how Logan and I ran into each other over Thanksgiving and--"

"No," Lorelai said firmly.

Rory blinked. "Excuse me?"

"No, Rory. No! _Hell no_!"


	3. Last Christmas

**Author's Note: **Again, I'm so happy to see how much you seem to be enjoying this story! Believe me, I'm really enjoying writing it! This chapter contains the obligatory flashback scenes, but come on! Did you really expect me to do a Christmas story and not write about the mysterious Christmas in London?

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Two - Last Christmas**

_Once bitten and twice shy  
__I keep my distance but you still catch my eye  
__Tell me baby, do you recognize me?  
__Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me ~Wham!_

"No Rory. no! Hell no!"

Rory sighed. "Mom sit down, you're too sick to get this worked up. I told you, I can explain everything."

"There's nothing to explain, Rory!" Lorelai sat down but didn't stop talking. "You know, my mom was right. How could you make me even say that sentence? My mother, Emily Gilmore, was right. Oh she warned me. She told me all about you and Logan at the country club. How the two you made such a spectacle of yourselves, leaving together without so much as a word to anyone. She told me everything, and I kept my mouth shut. And then--"

"Mom I--"

"And then!" Lorelai repeated louder. "You waltz in here the next morning, wearing the same clothes as the night before and you go into your room and you don't say a word and what do I do? I let it be." Lorelai's bitter laugh was cut short by a fit of coughing. "I don't ask you one word about it and all you tell me later that day is you and Logan caught up. Caught up!" She coughed again. "Are you pregnant?"

"What? No!" Rory looked at her mother dumbly. "Do you really think if I was, I would keep something like that from you?"

"If it was Logan's baby? Yeah, I do think you'd do exactly that!" Lorelai shook her head. "Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to you and him. Oh wait, except the fact that apparently, there is a you and him to even worry about again! It's been two years Rory. Two freaking years, and not once before Thanksgiving have I ever even heard you say his name! What is this? Are you having some sort of quarter-life crisis and are trying to reclaim your lost youth? It's a bad idea, Rory! Bad, bad idea."

Rory was dumbfounded as she stared at her mother, surprised at how closely she had come to hitting the nail on the head. "It's not a quarter-life crisis," she said weakly. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly? Not exactly? What does that even mean?"

"It means I miss him, mom!" Rory said suddenly. "I do, okay? I've missed him this entire time and so what if I have? I tried to bury those feelings, I went on with my life, but where has my life gone? What have I done in the last two years that I couldn't have done if I had still been with him? What am I doing now? It's not like I'm seeing anyone else!"

"Oh Rory." Lorelai looked at her with actual pity in her eyes. "Please tell me that's not the best reason you can come up for for this insanity. You really think that the fact that you're not involved with anyone else is the perfect green light to get involved with your ex again?"

"You mean kind of like you did with dad?" she shot back.

"I know you did not just say that to me. Christopher and I were completely different than you and Logan. But hey," Lorelai raised her hands in the air. "We saw how well that worked out, so I think you'd be a little more careful when comparing that failed relationship to what's doomed to be another one."

"He wants me back, mom," she said quietly. "You have to remember that he was the one that stopped wanting me before, not the other way around. What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

"Maybe you need to consider why he wants you back," Lorelai shot at her.

"I don't like your implications," Rory said angrily.

"Just calling it as I'm seeing it," she answered with a shrug. "Isn't that what your relationship was based on from the start?"

"You know it was different!" Rory shouted. They stared at each other for a moment before Rory

shook her head resolutely. "He wants me back," she repeated, all of the anger drained out of her voice. "And even if I can't say exactly the same thing yet, what else am I supposed to do, Mom? I need to see where this ends up. If I don't..." her voice trailed off and she shrugged.

Lorelai sighed. "I can't tell you what to do, Rory. What I can tell you is that its not fair to either of you, especially to him, if you're only in this to relive some college craziness." She paused. "On the other hand, you should probably consider the fact that he may be doing that very thing, and then what happens when you both realize just how much has changed in the last two years?"

She didn't want to admit it, but Lorelai's words had her spooked. "I know what I'm doing, mom," she said stubbornly. "I know to be careful around him."

Lorelai sneezed as she shook her head. "I really hope that you do," she warned. "We both know this guy is really good at getting you to do things you normally wouldn't do."

* * *

_December, 2006 - London_

"What was that?"

Logan looked up from his laptop. "What was what babe?"

She eyed him suspiciously. "Were you just singing?"

"Of course not."

"Hmm." She went back to the breakfast she was preparing for the two of them and he continued working. She had been in London with him for three days now, and she was pleased he had yet to return to the office; opting instead to work from home for several hours a day and spending the rest of the time with her.

Over the clicking sounds of his fingers on the keyboard she heard him again and looked up sharply. "You're humming Christmas carols!" she accused him, pointing at him with a wooden spoon.

"Ace." He looked at her over the top of his screen. "I don't know what you're talking about." He looked back down but not quick enough to hide the grin on his face. He didn't bother to lower his voice this time and over the sound of the frying pan, she was able to hear the faint strains of Deck the Halls.

"You liar!" She lunged at him, covering his mouth with her hand. "You filthy dirty rotten Christmas carol singing liar!"

Logan laughed through her fingers and pulled her onto his lap. "Okay okay, you caught me," he confessed. "But come on, Ace! What harm is a little Christmas music, especially now?"

She frowned and looked at him seriously. "I told you Logan, my mom and I promised not to celebrate any part of Christmas until I was back in the Stars Hollow and could celebrate together."

"Come on!" he protested. "That wasn't a serious promise. It couldn't have been!"

"What do you mean?"

"Rory." He leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. "Think about it. This is your mom's first Christmas married to Christopher, and they have GiGi at the house. Do you really think they'd actually hold off on Christmas because you're over here?" He held up his hand before she could protest. "And really, do you really think that it's fair for Lorelai to dictate that you cannot celebrate Christmas with _me?_ You know, your boyfriend, when in fact, you flew across the ocean to do just that?"

She sighed. "We've never not spent Christmas together, Logan."

"Eventually, you're going to have to Rory," he pointed out gently. "You may as well start this year, because I guarantee, Lorelai is celebrating Christmas right now." He reached past her and turned up the volume on his computer so that they could both hear the music. "How about it?"

She hesitated before shaking her head and getting up off of his lap. "I can't, I'm sorry," she said returning to the kitchen. The eggs she had been making were burnt to the pan and she scraped them into the garbage. "I don't suppose I could convince you to go out to breakfast?" she asked as she set the pan in the sink. When she turned to face him again, Logan was wearing a red Santa hat that she had never seen before and she burst out laughing. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged and turned the music up a little louder. "'Tis the season, Ace. Just because you're not celebrating Christmas, doesn't mean I'm going to stop."

"You look ridiculous in that hat, you know that, right?"

He nodded. "I'm sure I do, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to get you to see that you're being kind of ridiculous about this." He stood up. "What was that about breakfast?"

"You're not leaving here like that." It was a command, not a question.

"Try and stop me." And then, he stuck his tongue out at her and went to grab his coat so that they could leave.

She laughed again, and went to put a few more dishes in the sink before leaving the kitchen. As she was searching for her shoes in the living room she caught herself humming a few bars of Jingle Bells before clapping a hand over her own mouth and looking around guiltily.

Logan poked his head around the corner. "I heard that!"

She smiled at him innocently and went over to kiss him. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said sweetly.

"Mmmhmm." He slung an arm around her shoulder and they were on their way out the door. "It's just a matter of time, Ace. I'll have you celebrating with me in no time."

* * *

She had a daily routine. She had spent the last year perfecting it, and really, there was little room for variation. Every single morning, she got out of bed at seven-fifteen. She set her alarm for six-thirty, but she never left the bed until seven-fifteen. She had her first cup of coffee at seven-nineteen and was in the shower by seven twenty-five. From there she dressed, had her second cup of coffee, and checked the morning news for any breaking stories. She was always at her desk by eight forty-five, and then would spend the next fifteen minutes either emailing Lane or catching up on whatever blogs were in her Reader. The hours between nine and six were devoted strictly to work and the occassional errand. The hours between six and eight were for dinner. From eight until eleven she divided her time between television shows she didn't care to watch and whatever articles she was working on that week. The hour before midnight, she curled up in bed with a book, and by twelve-thirty, she was asleep and her day started over when the alarm rang at six-thirty the following morning.

So it was a pretty crappy routine, but it worked for her. It left very little time for drama, and literally zero time to think about Logan; something she had spent the first year after their break up doing entirely too much of.

Two weeks ago, he had shown up in her life again and since then, she had not followed her routine at all. She went to sleep at night dreaming about him and woke up with him being the first thought in her head. She found herself randomly typing his name into articles and spending more time reminiscing on their relationship than researching her work.

After the disastrous Black Friday affair she had assumed that had been the last time she would see him and had spent the last two weeks reconciling herself to that fact. For him to show up in Stars Hollow like he did; to do and say the things he had done and said, well, she still wasn't entirely sure it had all actually happened.

Three years ago, a spectacle like the one Logan, Finn and Colin had created wouldn't have even caused her to bat an eyelash. It could have happened on any Tuesday afternoon and she wouldn't have given it a second thought. Now? Now it did nothing but confuse her and make her doubt her own sanity.

Was she crazy to agree to give Logan a chance? What if she did or said something he didn't agree with? The last time that had happened, he had turned on his heel and walked away from her.

She sighed and got up from her bed. After a split second hesitation she went to the closet and began digging through boxes, looking for the one she knew was in there.

As she searched, her brain still worked in overdrive. Yes, she probably was insane to even entertain the thought of this proposition from Logan, but so what?

She was bored. Every single day of her life was exactly the same and though her routine served its function, deep down she knew she had to stop acting like an old maid and that she needed to have some fun in her life.

There was no denything that life was never more fun than when she was dating Logan Huntzberger. She found the box she was looking for, and it pulled it out. Rocking back on her heels she stared at it apprehensively.

Maybe Lorelai was right. Maybe she was suffering through some sort of quarter-life crisis. Hell, maybe Logan was too, but did it really matter? If she and Logan somehow managed to cut through all of their crap and find their way back to being together, would it really matter how they got there?

The more she thought about it, the less sure she became of her decision to give him a chance. The smart thing to do would be to turn in the opposite direction and run like hell. With a determined sigh, she threw the lid off of her Logan box and immediately found what she was looking for.

A dried up sprig of mistletoe.

* * *

_Christmas, 2006 - London_

"Take it off," Rory pleaded, unable to keep the laughter out of her voice.

"What? Here?" Logan looked around the crowded corner as they waited to cross the street. "All right, but I don't know how the other people are going to feel about this." He began to unzip his jacket.

"The hat," she clarified, rolling her eyes. "Despite what you keep telling yourself, I have no desire to see you naked every hour of every day."

"Liar!" Logan mock-cried. "As for the hat, it stays." He shrugged and tucked her hand into his. "I can't help it that you're the only one not feeling the holiday spirit."

"What I'm feeling is starved," she said, changing the subject quickly. "How far away is this place?"

"Not far, we're almost there," he promised as they reached the other side of the street. "So what do you want to do today? Bake sugar cookies? Build a snowman? Watch Miracle on 34th Street?"

"Logan!"

"Fine. We can go back to the apartment and have sex all day long then." He smirked. "Again."

"You've really got that whole one-track mind thing going on, don't you?" she asked with a shake of her head. They arrived at the restaurant and waited to be seated.

"Two-track," he corrected. "Kiss me." He laughed at her raised eyebrow. "What, you suddenly need a reason why? Kiss me."

"If I must." After an exaggerated sigh, she leaned forward and pecked him on the lips.

"Yes, I really feel the love you have for me with that kiss," he deadpanned. "Seriously? I ask you to kiss me and that's the best you can do? Bah freaking-humbug to you too, Ace."

"Aww." She tried not to laugh at the injured look on his face. "Come here." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again, this time letting her lips linger against his. He pulled her closer against him and held her there, releasing her only when they needed to catch their breath. "Better?" she asked softly.

"So much better," he whispered, brushing his lips against her cheek. "You should look up." He lifted his own eyes to the ceiling and waited for her to the same.

She gasped. "Mistletoe!" She pushed him away and kicked his shin for good measure. "You jerk!"

"Ow! Rory!" He glared at her and rubbed his knee. "You don't kick people under mistletoe, you kiss them. _You_ kiss them very well, I might add!"

"I don't do anything under mistletoe, Huntzberger! Not this year!" She moved to kick him again but he dodged out of her way.

"Too late, you just did," he said with a smirk. "And look at that, you survived it. Lorelai didn't rain down the fires of Hell on us."

"I hope you enjoyed it, because that's the last kiss you're getting all day," she threatened.

"Mm-hmm. I'll believe that when I see it. Come on Missy, our table's ready." He grabbed her hand and pulled her after their hostess.

She snatched the Santa hat off of his head. "Just for that, you don't get your hat back," she said triumphantly.

He shrugged. "We'll see."

* * *

"Your tree is beautiful," Rory said as she sat back against Lane's couch. "I especially like the baby gate around it. Very festive." After spending an hour going through the Logan box, and still not being able to make up her mind one way or the other, she had decided she needed another opinion. Before she could stop herself, she had found herself on her best friend's doorstep.

Lane laughed. "I know right? It's hell, having a Christmas-obsessed husband who insists on having a real tree even though we have two toddlers who love grabbing anything shiny." She shrugged and sat down next to Rory. "But enough about my tree, let's talk about what happend in the town square today." She rasied an eyebrow at her best friend. "You've been holding out on me, Gilmore. When did Logan come back into the picture?"

Rory sighed. "Day after Thanksgiving," she admitted before launching into the whole story. She didn't leave any details out. From Honor's shanghai-ing them into speaking, to the trip back to New Haven, to the still unmentioned I love you and the eventual get the hell out, she told Lane all of it.

"Wow." Lane sat back, taking it all in. "He actually told you he loved you? During sex?"

She nodded and buried her face in her hands. "I know! That's supposed to mean it didn't count, right? I mean, isn't that what it means? But Lane, he _did _mean it, otherwise he wouldn't have shown up here today, right?" She looked up through her fingers. "And the worst part is, neither of us has even brought it up yet! It's like it never happened!"

"Maybe it didn't happen," Lane pointed out. "You said so yourself, you had a lot to drink that night."

"Oh it happened," she moaned.

"Well, do you still love him?" Lane asked matter-of-factly. "You must, considering what happened today." Rory stayed quiet. "You do love him, don't you?"

"Of course," she said softly. "But..." her voice trailed off and she shrugged.

"But what?"

"I loved him two years ago," she said simply. "What if right now I'm confusing this with that? That I'm only in love with a memory and not what's right in front of me?" Her eyes widened. "What if he's not still in love with me? What if he just said it because he thought he was supposed to? Or because he was drunk?"

"Then why would he be here now?" Lane pointed out. "If that had been the case, he could have easily stayed in California and none of this would even be happening right now."

"What if I'm wasting my time?" Rory asked, staring down into her cup of coffee. "What if my mom is right and this is all part of a quarterlife crisis and we end up even more miserable in the end?"

"I think that for once, Lorelai may not be your best bet for insight," Lane said carefully. "Knowing how she felt about Logan before, and knowing how she still worries about you, her views might be a little jaded."

"You're right," Rory agreed. She laughed as they watched the twins try to climb the baby gate around the Christmas tree. "It really is a beautiful tree," she said again, softly.

* * *

_December, 2006 - London_

It was just a kiss, she reminded herself sternly. After breakfast they had made it back to the safety of his apartment, away from all of the Christmas hoopla and while he had taken a conference call for work, she had taken a shower. Forty-five minutes later, she was still feeling guilty over their mistletoe interlude.

"Enough!" she muttered to herself with a shake of her head. "It was just a kiss! You've been kissing him ever since you got off that plane, it is _not_ the same thing as celebrating Christmas! You did not cheat!" She gave herself another onceover in the mirror and swiped a smudge of mascara from under her eye before being satisfied enough to head back out to the living room, sure that Logan would be off of his conference call by now.

He was off the phone all right. And standing in front of the last thing she expected to see in the apartment.

"What is _that?" _She placed her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

He shrugged. "The conference call canceled, I had some time on my hands while you were in the shower."

"I wasn't even in there an hour!" she protested. "And I didn't even hear you bring that... that _thing _in here!"

"It's not a thing, it's a Christmas tree." He grinned widely. "And a hell of a one at that, too! What do you think?" He shook his head at the look on her face. "Just because you aren't celebrating Christmas doesn't mean that I can't," he pointed out. "And I don't know if you know this about me Rory, but I can go holiday crazy if the mood strikes me."

"Right." She pouted as he continued to string lights onto the tree. "This isn't fair, Logan."

"I know," he agreed. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll tell you what I'm not going to do," she grumbled as she turned on her heel and headed for the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Logan groaned and put down the strand of lights. "Ace, come on," he called, crossing the living room. He opened the door and found her lying on the bed, her face buried in the pillows. "You're not really mad at me."

"Am too!" came the muffled reply.

"No you're not." He sat down on the bed next to her and placed a hand on her back. "It's just a Christmas tree, Rory. It's not the end of the world."

She rolled over and looked at him. "I know that," she pouted. "I promised my mom, Logan."

"And I promise you she already has a tree up in her living room," Logan insisted. "They have a four-year-old there! You don't think she'd actually keep GiGi from Christmas, do you?"

"It was a pact," she protested.

"And it was stupid," he said with a laugh. "I'm sorry, but it was." He pulled her up to a sitting position. "Now, we can stay in here if you want, because well, I'm a big fan of what goes on in here, or," he pulled the Santa hat out of his back pocket and placed it on her head. "Or we can spend Christmas together the way we're supposed to. By actually celebrating Christmas." He saw it in her eyes that she was wavering. "It's just a tree, Rory."

"Yeah, it was just a Christmas carol and it was just mistletoe too, right?"

"Exactly!" He pulled her up off the bed and started walking her back out into the living room. "How about you help me decorate this tree and then I'll help you out of those clothes after that?" She elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow! Okay, okay, you can keep your clothes on for now, but after the tree, I promise, no more Christmas stuff. Deal?"

She sighed. "Come on, Cindy Lou. We've got a tree to decorate."

Logan gasped and put his hand over his chest. "And just like that, her heart grew two sizes that day!"

"I'm not wearing this hat all day."

"Of course not, it's mine." He plucked it off of her head and tossed it back on his own. "Okay, so the lights are all done, let's get some ornaments on this baby."

She stood in front of the tree with him. "It really is pretty," she admitted.

"Thanks, I figured you'd like it." He reached into a box of ornaments and selected one before handing it to her. "You may have the honor of the first ornament," he said grandly.

She looked at the small crystal reindeer in her hand and sighed. She cast a reluctant look at Logan who only smiled at her.

"It's just a tree, Rory," he said encouragingly.

"Right," she muttered. "It's just a tree." She reached out to hook the reindeer to a branch. It was almost secure when Logan's cell phone rang, causing her to shriek and drop the ornament.

Logan caught it before it hit the floor and laughed at her. "That's not even your phone, Ace. Calm down, Lorelai doesn't have some sixth sense that tells her you're decorating a Christmas tree!"

"She might!" Rory insisted. Logan held his cell phone out to her so that she could see it was just his assistant ringing him. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." He laughed at her once more and again held out the orament to her. She stubbornly refused to take it and he sighed. "Come here," he gently moved her to stand in front of him and wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her there, while forcing her to take the ornament in one of her hands. Together, they hung the ornament on the tree. Stepping back, he rested his head on her shoulder and kissed her neck. "Well, there was no lightning bolt, Ace. The electricty didn't go out, and neither of us collapsed. Do you think it's safe to hang the rest of these?"

She craned her neck to look back at him. "You're a jerk," she said with a smile. "I love you, but you are a jerk." She kissed him.

"There's that holiday spirit I've been looking for!" He let go of her and handed her another ornament. "Here, you hang this and I'll make us some hot cocoa."

She sighed, knowing that fighting Christmas was a lost cause at this point. She hung the bulb on the tree and stepped back to look at it again.

"It really _is_ a pretty tree."

* * *

It was almost evening by the time she left Lane's house, and she was still no closer to making up her mind than when she had first gotten there. She wandered around town a bit, but soon realized she was not up to answering the endless questions her neighbors had for her and she quickly ended up back in the safety of her old bedroom.

She could hear Lorelai and Luke talking in the other room. She couldn't make out their words but by their tones, she knew they were talking about her. Sighing, she picked up the mistleoe from where she had left it on the floor and sat down on her bed, chewing at her lower lip.

It wouldn't _hurt _anyone if she went out with Logan a few times just to test the waters, she reasoned with herself. She was smart enough to know better than to get caught up in everything he was surely going to throw her way. If today was any indication of how this whole thing was going to, she was pretty certain he would be pulling out all of the stops and she had to make sure she kept a level head through it all.

Two dates, she assured herself. If after two dates, she still wasn't sure on his intentions, or if she ended up realizing they weren't going to work out after all, then she would end things at that point, and they would both be better for it. There would be no wasting of either of their time.

Yes, she thought to herself again, staring down at the mistletoe. She just had to stay smart.

Her phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts. Looking at the screen and seeing who it was, she smiled and held the phone to her ear. "Haven't you said everything you needed to say today?" she asked playfully.

"Not even close."

"Then don't you think it's better to stop while you're ahead?"

"I'm a betting man, Ace, you know that." He paused. "So did the craziness die down or is Stars Hollow still recovering from this afternoon?"

"Are you kidding? That's the most excitement this place has seen in years." She laughed. "Although um, my mom found out in a less than desirable way."

"Is that where the cold chill is coming from?"

"She's not happy," Rory admitted.

"Are you?"

"What?"

"Are you happy?" he asked again.

She hesitated. "I am," she said truthfully.

"Then I don't care what Lorelai thinks."

"You probably don't want to say that so loud."

"I'll take my chances. So, what are you up to?"

"Nothing. Hanging out in my bedroom. You?"

"Hanging out in your driveway."

She looked out the window and was surprised to see his car was sure enough parked in the driveway. She put her phone down and left her room to greet him. "Hey," she said, not able to keep the surprised out of her voice.

He grinned at her from the porch. "You'll be very pleased to know that Colin and Finn escaped Stars Hollow safely, and are both on their way back to New York City with a very special message to Honor."

"That's good," she murmured, still staring at him. She couldn't stop thinking about the kiss he had given her just hours before. He stepped closer and felt the heat radiating from his body. Her cheeks flushed and she felt herself moving even closer to him still.

"Yeah," he agreed. "And then, once they were on their way, I realized I had nothing to do and I didn't really anticipate spending the night at my parents' so, I was halfway to the hotel when I decided I should come and say a proper good-night to you."

"We can't have sex!" Rory blurted out.

* * *

_December, 2006 - London_

Rory yawned and rolled over on her side, wincing as went. "Tell me why we slept on the living room floor again?" she asked, her voice still hoarse with sleep. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see Logan was awake, leaning against the couch with his computer on his lap. She wrapped the blanket around her a little tighter and sat up next to him. "What are you working on there?"

He glanced at her over the computer screen and shrugged. "We slept on the floor because quite honestly, you couldn't wait until we were in the bedroom to keep your hands off of me; and well, after many incredible hours underneath our Christmas tree, you were so worn out that when I tried to get you to get up and go to bed, you kicked me. Again."

"I did not kick you," she said with a roll of her eyes. She raised her face to his and waited for him to kiss her. "You didn't answer my second question. What are you working on?"

"Just trying to see which list you're on, that's all."

"List?"

"Mm-hmm." He gave her a pointed stare. "The naughty or nice list, and I gotta say Rory, after some of the things we just did, I think it's safe to say you're off the nice list this year."

"What? Give me that." She grabbed the laptop from him and scanned the list he had on the screen. "Logan!" her cheeks reddened instantly. "I did not do _that_!" she jabbed a finger at the screen.

"You didn't?" He leaned over to see where she was pointing. "Oh you know what, you flipped pages. This isn't the naughty or nice list after all."

"Oh really? What is it then?"

"My wish list." He laughed as she smacked a hand against his chest. "What? You're the one who asked what I was working on!" He grabbed at her hand as she went to hit him again. "You're very violent these days," he said as he secured her hand behind her back and playfully wrestled her back to the floor. "If I had known that, I would have added a little something else to my wish list."

"Stop!" she protested, trying to break free from his grasp. They were both laughing as she used her free hand to grab the Santa hat off of his head and triumphantly place it on hers. "I can't believe you're still wearing this."

"See? Nice girls don't steal their boyfriend's Santa hats."

"Naughty girls do worse," she said, failing to make her statement sound like a threat.

"You're just lucky it looks better on you." He released her other hand and they settled back comfortably into each other's arms and gazed up at the tree. "It is a damn good tree, if I say so myself," Logan said, running a hand over her bare arm.

"Agreed," she said, burying her face into his shoulder. She sighed contentedly and looked around the living room at the remains of their evening. Plates of sugar cookie crumbs and empty hot cocoa mugs littered the coffee table. A half empty bottle of peppermint liquor sat on top of a stack of Christmas dvds. They had constructed exactly one half of a gingerbread house before giving up and eating the materials. The courtroom scene of _Miracle on 34th Street _was playing on the television. "It's a damn good holiday," she said quietly, turning to look at him. "You're right, I didn't want to miss this. Thank you." She reached up to kiss him.

"This is just the beginning," he promised. He glanced at the clock. "Well, it's officially Christmas Eve, do you know what that means?"

She looked at him blankly. "Charlie Brown turns into a pumpkin?"

"Maybe, but that's not what I had in mind." He reached behind her, under the tree, and produced a small gift-wrapped box for her. "Naughty girls still get presents from me," he said with a grin.

"Presents!" Her eyes lit up for a second before falling again. "I don't have anything for you," she said quietly.

"Hey. You're in London. That's more than enough for me."

"Well..." her voice trailed off. "I may have brought a gift or two. Justincase," she added quickly, avoiding his eyes.

"Oh really?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Rory Gilmore, you've been holding out on me! You were planning on celebraring Christmas this whole time!"

"I was not!" she protested. "They were going to be New Years gifts!"

"Liar." He held out the box to her again. "Here, after everything I made you do this week Christmas-wise, you definitely deserve this."

She undid the ribbon on the box and lifted the lid. "Logan," she said softly, looking up at him. She looked quickly back down at the two glittering diamonds. "They're beautiful."

He ducked his head, smiling shyly. "You already have pearls," he pointed out. "And a ring would have been too presumptuous, so the next obvious choice was earrings. I didn't set out to get diamonds either, I actually had something entirely different in mind, but as soon as I saw these..."

"They're perfect," she said quickly. "I love them, thank you." She leaned over and kissed him again. "Should I go get your gifts now?" she murmurmed against his mouth.

"Nah," he said as he pulled her back into him. "We've got all Christmas Day to open presents, right now I just want to do this."

"We're never going to make it to the bedroom if we keep this up," she whispered as he pushed her hair aside to kiss behind her ear.

"I like you right here," he said as his mouth dipped lower. "I'll like you even better if we do number three from the naughty list." She giggled and took the Santa hat from her head and placed it back on his as he continued to kiss his way down her body.

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

* * *

There was a pause as they stood there looking at each other from opposite sides of the door and Rory wanted to smack herself for not thinking before she spoke.

Logan looked around, confused. "Ever?" he asked, stepping closer. "Or just not right now?" He bent his head down to hers and was even more confused as she pulled away. "Because if it's forever, I'd like to propose one last time to make sure you've really thought this through."

"No kissing either!" she said, her face flustered. Inwardly, she sighed. She was doing a bang-up job of getting her intentions across to him.

"You wanna clue me in here, Rory?"

She nodded and motioned for him to come inside. She waited until they were both seated in the living room before trying again. "I was going to tell you that I had changed my mind," she confessed reluctantly.

"What?"

"Relax, I said I was going to, but I've changed my mind." She looked down at her hands. "I'm still not convinced that it's a very good idea though, Logan."

"I don't understand. Damnit Rory, it hasn't even been three hours since I was last here!"

"But it's been two years since we've last seen each other," she pointed out. "Please, just hear me out, don't say a word until I'm done, okay?"

He nodded.

"Thank you." She tried to smile reassuringly. "As I said, it's been two years. A lot can happen to a person in two years, you know? We're not the same people we were when we were dating. At least I know I'm not, and I'm pretty sure you would say the same." He nodded again. "But I don't think that it's a bad thing necessarily. In fact, it might even be a good thing." She laughed at his raised eyebrow. "I want to see where this goes, Logan. I want to see what happens if we start spending time together, and to see if you're right, and that we could possibly work out this time, but..." she hesitated. "I want to start all over. From the beginning. I want us to start learning all the things that we've missed in the last two years, along with rediscovering what we already know. Does that sound stupid?"

How could he say no to that? Logan ran his hand through his hair before answering her. "I get what you're saying, Ror, but why waste that time talking about things we already know?"

"Things we already know?" she sat back and looked at him expectantly. "What food did I get so sick of on the road that I haven't even looked at it since? It used to be one of my favorites, and now? I can't even think about it without wanting to be sick." She crossed her arms in front of her. "What's my favorite Christmas movie?"

"Miracle on 34th Street," he said automatically.

"Wrong."

He looked confused. "Yes it is. You've made me watch it something like, two hundred times. We watched it four times alone in London!"

"It's not my favorite," she said simply.

"Okay fine." He smiled ruefully. "Point taken." He cleared his throat. "So can I take you out on a first date? Tomorrow night? Pick you up around eight?"

She smiled back. "Eight is perfect."

"And I really can't kiss you right now?"

She laughed. "I don't kiss men I don't know," she said coyly.

"Maybe you should start," he said, leaning closer. "You might find you actually enjoy it."

She laughed and shook her head. "Good-night, Logan."

"Hmm." He looked her up and down. "Looks like it's back on the naughty list for you, Gilmore."

She gasped and hit his arm playfully. "You wish, Huntzberger. Now get out of here before I change my mind again. I'll see you tomorow night."

"Tomorrow night," he agreed. With one last longing look, he turned and walked away.

"What? All of a sudden he just can't stay away, can he?" Lorelai asked sarcastically as Rory shut the front door and passed her on her way back to her bedroom.

"Guess not," she said with a smile on her face as she walked past her. "Good-night!" She shut herself back in the room before Lorelai could say anything else.

Once again, her eyes fell on the mistletoe. She wasn't surprised when her phone beeped, signaling a text message.

_Don't change your mind before tomorrow night. Please._

She smiled as she quickly typed her message back, promising that she wouldn't, and that she would see him tomorrow.

_What IS your favorite Christmas movie then?_

She laughed at that, and changed into her pajamas and got ready for bed before sending her reply.

_Not telling. Looking forward to you figuring it out. If you do, I'll be very surprised._

_Oh yeah? You know me. I love a challenge._

_Do your best, Huntzberger._

_Count on it. Good night, Ace._

_Good night Logan._

Her eyes wandered over to the Logan box once more. She had finally placed the mistletoe on the table next to her bed, knowing it was stupid, but still needing it close by.

"Do your best."


	4. Santa Baby

**Author's Note: **I'm back with the next chapter! Yeah.. it's about a week later than I'd hoped, but well... it was a rough week at a new job and real life decided not to cooperate until this weekend. So here I am... and I do hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you again, for all of the amazing feedback I've gotten so far - keep it coming!

Also, I have to give credit where credit is due - the general idea of this chapter was inspired by an episode of One Tree Hill.

Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Three - Santa Baby**

_Santa baby, just slip a sable under the tree, for me  
__Been an awful good girl  
Santa baby so hurry down the chimney tonight_ ~Eartha Kitt

"Aww, a first date? That's so freaking adorable. She's good." Honor carried her phone into the living room and gave a thumbs up to Josh who just shook his head and turned back to the newspaper he was reading. "Oh but Logan, you can't take her out tomorrow night!"

"What do you mean? I have to. I already asked her." Logan glared into the phone. "And she's about three steps from bailing on the whole thing so I'm not going to do something stupid like postpone it now."

"Calm down, would you? I'm not telling you to postpone it. Look, Logan, she wants to do things right this time, and I don't want you to screw it up."

"Believe it or not Honor, I do know how to date. Especially this girl."

"Yeah, and look how well it turned out the last time!" She sighed. "Sorry, that was out of line. Just hear me out, okay?" She paused and when he didn't argue, she smiled. "What you're going to do is take her on a day date. Just trust me, I'll take care of all of the details. All you'll have to do is show up."

"And if she doesn't show up? If she's got something going on during the day tomorrow?"

"What could she possibly have going on?"

"Work, maybe?"

"Huh." Honor paused on the other end of the line. "Is she working right now? In Stars Hollow?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure," he admitted.

"It doesn't matter," Honor carried on. "She'll be there. Just leave it to me."

They were dangerous words coming from his sister but he knew better than to argue with her. "I'm trusting you, Honor," he warned.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She was already flipping through the Connecticut phone book she kept in her desk. "Just be there to pick her up at one-thirty, okay?"

"One-thirty," he repeated. He sighed. "Thanks Honor."

"Oh don't thank me yet. Just remember to toast me at the wedding. Good-night, Logan." She hung up the phone and found the number she was looking for. She picked up the phone again and dialed.

"Mr. Danes?" she said brightly when the other end picked up. "Hi. You don't know me, but I know of you, and I need your help with something tomorrow."

_

* * *

_

_December 15th, 2009_

_You are cordially invited to join Logan Huntzberger for lunch at one-thirty this afternoon. If you are accepting this invitation, please meet Mr. Huntzberger at the gazebo in the town square of Stars Hollow. Please bring with you the wrapped gift that is enclosed in this package. Do not open the gift until instructed to do so! Upon your arrival at the gazebo, you and Mr. Huntzberger will be given the option of continuing on with this date, or going your separate ways. If you agree to continue, and I do hope this is your choice, there will be another envelope, identical to the one this invitation was in, and directions will be provided to your first destination. Enjoy!_

"Crap!" Rory cried as she tossed the invitation down on the table and looked at her watch. It was already noon and she was still in her pajamas. "When did this get here?" she called into the kitchen where Lorelai was making another pot of coffee.

"Not sure," Lorelai called back. "Luke dropped it off about an hour ago maybe?"

"And you didn't think to tell me?"

"Um yeah. I did tell you. You were sleeping and said okay, and then rolled back over to go to bed." Lorelai looked at her daughter as she stormed into the kitchen. "Is it something important? And also? Why were you still asleep up until a half hour ago? Are you feeling okay?"

"Fine, I just didn't sleep well last night," Rory mumbled as she poured a cup of coffee. It had been near six in the morning before she had stopped tossing and turning. "And this!" She held the piece of paper out to Lorelai. "This says that my date with Logan today is happening in exactly an hour and a half. How am I supposed to get ready in that amount of time?"

"A day date, I'm impressed." Lorelai scanned the card and then looked up. "So what happens if you decide not to do this date like the card says? Do you still get to keep the present? Like a parting gift?"

"I'm not missing the date," Rory said with a roll of her eyes. She stopped and turned. "Wait. Did you say Luke dropped this off? Why would Luke have it?"

"Believe me, I'm dying to find that out myself," Lorelai said dryly. "Okay kid, have fun on your date." She tried not to grimace. "I am off to the Inn, Sookie's off today because of the snowman contest and there's a huge group checking in at one."

"I'll see you later," Rory called as she went back into her bedroom. She opened the door to her closet and stared at its contents. There was no way she could be ready in an hour and a half. She shut the door and dove for her phone, which still lay on her nightstand next to the mistletoe. "Pick up, pick up," she muttered as the phone rang.

"You're not calling to cancel, are you?"

"No!" She smiled and moved back over to the closet. "But uh, well you see, I just found out about the sudden time change in plans and well... I'm just getting out of bed here."

"Spent all night dreaming about me, did you? That's okay, I hear it happens."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to cancel?"

"I'll meet you there at two, does that sound better?"

"Perfect, I'll see you then!" She disconnected the call and headed for the shower.

Two hours and seven minutes later, she was racing breathlessly up the steps of the gazebo, pleased to see Logan was still there. "I'm sorry," she gasped, as she leaned against the railing and tried to catch her breath. "There was a minor fight with my blow dryer, I tried to be on time!"

Logan laughed. "Seven minutes, not bad. I would have given you at least another eight before I considered leaving. You never really were punctual to begin with." She opened her mouth to protest but shut it quickly, knowing that he was right. "So, we're both here." He gestured to the gazebo. "Should we see where this date takes us next?"

"You mean you don't know?" she quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Honor," he said simply and she just nodded her head. "Oh, here we go." He found another pale blue envelope taped to one of the benches. He handed it to her and she opened it.

"We are supposed to go to Luke's for lunch," she said after reading it through. "That's all it says."

"Well, who are we to argue with Honor?" Logan asked. "Shall we?" He offered her his arm and they left the gazebo.

"I think Honor may have gotten a hold of Luke to help her with this," Rory said, unable to keep from laughing. Logan opened the front door to the diner and the bells jingled, signaling their arrival. The entire crowd paused to look up at them.

"You're late," Luke said flatly from behind the diner.

"Yeah, it looks like she did," Logan agreed. They sat down at the nearest table.

"Hi Luke," she called brightly, smiling over at him with a wave. "We're right on time, if we're following Gilmore time," she pointed out. He came from behind the counter and walked over to them.

"Hey," he said gruffly as he threw two menus down on the table. "You're lucky your mom is swamped at the Inn, otherwise you know she'd be sitting at the table next to you."

She laughed. "You'll be giving her updates, I'm sure," she said teasingly.

"Depends on what I see." He looked over at Logan. "Your sister is very pushy."

Logan winced. "I don't know what she roped you into, but I'm sorry."

"Right." Luke tossed another blue envelope on top of one of the menus. "I'll be back."

Rory let out a long breath. "Well that wasn't awkward."

"Not at all." Logan held up the envelope. "Shall we?" She nodded and he opened it, pulling out a single sheet of paper, identical to the ones they had received earlier. He read it quickly, and then looked up with a smirk on his face.

"What does it say?"

"We are supposed to look at the menu and order our favorite thing off of it for each other."

Rory's eyes brightened and she tossed her menu aside. "I won't be needing that." She smirked back at him. "Any chance your favorite diner food is still cheeseburgers?"

"Maybe." Logan picked up his own menu and began reading it.

"So what will it be?" Luke asked, coming back to the table.

Rory pursed her lips for a second, her eyes twinkling. "I'll have the Monte Cristo please."

"You've never eaten the Monte Cristo!" Logan accused.

"How do you know?"

"Has she ever eaten the Monte Cristo?" Logan looked to Luke.

"No one's ever eaten the Monte Cristo."

Logan looked at her triumphantly. She shook her head and tapped the piece of paper that lay between them. "Read the note, Logan, it says to order your favorite thing on the menu. It does not say I have to have eaten it myself." She smiled winningly. "And the Monte Cristo is by far my absolute favorite thing on the menu. Ask Luke."

"She does have some sick attachment to it," Luke offered.

"Fine." Logan snapped the menu shut. "I will have grilled chicken salad," he said, keeping his eyes on Rory as he spoke. "Would it be possible to throw some spinach in that? And extra tomato and some green pepper?"

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure."

"Good. And also? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure your Caesar dressing is great, but do you have anything...healthier?" Rory kicked him under the table and he chuckled.

Luke shrugged. "I whipped up a vinaigrette dressing earlier today with lemon."

"That would be perfect." He took a drink of his water and smiled at Rory.

"Anything else?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, could you substitute the spinach in that salad with oh... I don't know... croutons?" Rory asked. "Lots and lots of croutons actually."

"No croutons," Logan said firmly.

"Right." Luke stared at them for a minute. "Do I even want to know?"

"No," Rory said with a pout. "Can I have some more coffee please?"

"Coming right up."

"Monte Cristo, huh? Can't wait!" Logan rubbed his hands together enthusiastically. "Oh, there's more instruction on the card, if you're ready?"

"Let's hear it."

"We're supposed to tell each other two things we miss about the other person. And we're supposed to keep it PG-rated." He made a face. "Do we even have any PG-rated memories?"

She laughed. "I'm sure we can come up with something." She leaned closer and lowered her voice. "You realize we're being watched by every single person here, right?" she asked, sweeping her eyes subtly from one side of the room to the other.

He nodded grimly. "I'm sure that was all part of Honor's plan." He plastered a smile on his face and waved to Miss Patty, who was sitting at the counter next to the Rabbi.

"That reminds me." She leaned her elbows on the table. "Just how exactly did Honor end up planning our first date?"

Logan ducked his head sheepishly. "I called her on my way home last night, and she agrees with you completely, by the way, that we need to start over. She said to tell you how smart you're being." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, she insisted that it would be inappropriate," he paused to roll his eyes again. "For me to take you out at night. Apparently, day dates are the way to do things these days."

Rory laughed. "Oh, that's great. She's right about that though. Day dates are the new black. It's a good thing I don't have work right now."

"I was going to ask about tha-" Logan was interrupted as Luke arrived at their table again, setting down two plates in front of them.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you," He said to Logan, nodding at the deep fried sandwich. He turned to Rory. "You can eat all of that," he said as he pushed her salad closer.

"Yeah thanks." Rory made a face as Luke walked away, muttering about how he still didn't want to know what was going on. She plastered a smile on her face and turned to Logan. "Looks great!" she said fakely. Her smile turned genuine as she looked at his plate. "That looks awful," she said, barely containing her glee. "Are you really going to eat that?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" He asked dryly. "Is that raspberry jam?"

"Blackberry actually," she said helpfully.

"Yum. Do people really eat this?"

Rory shrugged. "Not that I've ever seen." She stabbed at a piece of spinach with her fork before pointing at him. "You could be the first though. Maybe we should document it with a picture?"

Logan picked up the sandwich, eying it carefully before tentatively taking a bite and chewing cautiously. "It's not awful," he said finally.

"Dip it in the jam and tell me that."

"Would you like a little more dressing for your salad?"

"No," Rory grumbled as she stabbed at the salad again. "Okay, so two things we miss about the other person, huh? Shoot."

"Why do I have to go first? You go first."

She sighed. "I'll rock paper scissors you for it?"

"Best two out of three," Logan agreed. In the end he still lost. "Okay." He paused and took a drink of his coffee and thought about how he wanted to go about this. "I miss Sundays in bed with you," he said. "And not for the obvious reasons," he added quickly as she raised an eyebrow. "Though those reasons do stand on their own. No, I miss staying in bed until after two, and then having breakfast for lunch, and going back to bed with the Sunday paper and having mini movie marathons."

Rory nodded. "Not getting out of bed until after the sun went down and we needed to get things ready for the week," she remembered as well. She laughed. "Remember when I made you watch an entire day's worth of Lifetime movies?"

He grimaced. "I think I sufficiently got back at you with an action packed weekend of Steven Segal."

"So true," she agreed. "Okay, that's a pretty good thing to start with. Let's see, my turn now." She pondered the question for a moment.

"Don't think too hard there," Logan joked after a long silence.

"Shush." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I miss checking you over before you left the house each morning," she said finally. She shook her head. "Okay, that sounds stupid, but it's true. It was one of our routines though. Making sure you didn't cut yourself shaving and checking to see that your socks matched." She smiled wistfully. "Straightening your tie just before you kissed me goodbye and walked out the door."

"You make me sound helpless, Ace."

"You're the one who wore a blue sock on foot and a brown one on the other before I came along," she pointed out.

"Only a couple of times," he protested. "Our memories so far make us seem like an old married couple."

Rory laughed but stared down at her salad. "Do you think it would have been like that?" she asked softly.

"What?"

"Us married." She shrugged. "Would we have kept doing that? Giving you a once-over before you left for work every morning, tying your tie for you, and sending you off with a kiss?"

Logan looked away. There was an awkward silence as they both avoided looking at the other. Finally he cleared his throat and looked back at her with a shrug of his own. "I'd hate to think you'd let me leave with different socks on each morning," he said with a smile. There was another pause and he cleared his throat. "You used to make this face while studying," he said, listing off his second thing about her.

"What?"

"You did. It was adorable. I'd look over and you'd be reading your notes intently, and your nose would be all scrunched up and the tip of your tongue would poke out the corner of your mouth right here." He reached over and brushed his thumb over the side of her mouth. "And then, if you were really into your studying, you'd start playing with your hair without even realizing it. Don't you ever wonder why I made you take so many study breaks?"

"I thought we were keeping this PG," she said with a hint of warning in her voice.

"I am, that's why I mentioned that face and not the other one I was thinking about." And just like that, the tension was broken at the table and they both relaxed again. "All right, Ace, you're up again. Better make it a good one."

She considered the question for a minute. "I miss your spontaneity," she said finally.

He laughed. "You hated my spontaneity," he pointed out.

"Well!" She shrugged. "If it was the middle of finals week and you wanted to take off to Atlantic City, yeah, I hated it then, but..." she shrugged again. "If you weren't so spontaneous, you wouldn't be here right now, would you? We wouldn't be here right now. Sometimes, I miss that kind of stuff."

"Aww, that was a good one." Logan was going to say more, but he was interrupted as Luke dropped their bill off at the table. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and pushed his half-eaten sandwich away. "Well I don't know about you, but I'm stuffed," he said sarcastically. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Where are we going next?"

Logan held up another envelope. "Let's find out." He tore open the envelope and read aloud from the card. "Congratulations, you made it through lunch. Now the real fun begins. It's time to open your gifts so hand over the present you arrived with to the other person. You'll definitely need these for the next part of your date." He looked up at her. "Should we be scared?"

"Probably." She grinned as they each passed each other an identically wrapped box. "You go first," she instructed. "That way, if it blows up, I know not to open mine."

"Good to see you're looking out for me." He lifted the top off of the box and pulled out a pair of gloves and one of those furry hats with ear flaps. "And what do we think this is about?"

"Oh, that's hot," Rory snickered. "My turn!" She opened her own box and looked up at Logan. "Oh wow." She lifted out a pair of thin gloves and a pink cashmere scarf. She looked down at them and back up at Logan again. "I've seen this, this is too expensive, no." She tried to hand him the box but he held up his hands.

"Can't give back a gift I didn't give you," he pointed out. "Honor's good, but I would have picked something in blue."

"Hmm." She scrunched up her face. "Why do we need these?"

"Because." Logan looked down at the card again. "We are to go build a snowman to enter into the contest."

"Oh." Rory frowned. "We didn't fill out the registration forms, if Taylor catches us..."

"There can't be a law against building a snowman in the town square," Logan interrupted her.

"Have you forgotten where we are?" She asked.

"We can take him," Logan said positively. He set the gray furry hat on his head. "Looks good, right?"

"You know it," she said with a laugh. "Okay, let's do this." She waited for him to take care of the bill and they stepped out into the chilly air again.

"These aren't going to keep me very warm," Rory said doubtfully, looking down at her gloves. "What was Honor thinking?"

"In Honor's world, I would be the one building this snowman alone while you sat off to the side and did nothing but look pretty," Logan pointed out.

She scoffed. "Please, I've won this contest something like six times! You think I'm just going to sit back and watch?" She shook her head. "Oh no. I'm going to go pick out a good spot of snow, and you, sir, are going to go into that store over there and pick up a few supplies that we're going to need."

He looked to where she was pointing. "Le Chat Club? I'm not going in there. What if Kirk's in there?" She gave him a look and he relented. "Okay fine. What do we need?" He listened as she rattled off a number of things and then they separated; he going into the store and she toward the park to look for the perfect snow.

"Oh, and Logan?" She waited until he turned to look at her. "Ask Kirk if we can borrow his beard from Fiddler on the Roof!" She smiled at the look he sent her way and then began inspecting the snow.

"So, check me out." Logan appeared next to her about fifteen minutes later. "Not only did I manage to find everything on your very strange list, but I managed to sweet talk Kirk into getting us a forged registration form!"

"You're a rockstar!" She laughed at him. "And just how did you manage that?"

"He wanted Finn's phone number." Logan shrugged. "Okay, so are we ready to do this? Oh, wait!" He grinned again and handed her a second bag.

"What's this?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, you were right when you said that scarf and those gloves wouldn't keep you warm." He nodded at the bag again. "Go ahead, open it."

She peeked into the bag and laughed. "Are you kidding me?" She pulled out a hat similar to Logan's, except that it was blue and white, with cat ears sticking up on either side. There was also a matching set of mittens with cat faces on them.

"Kirk assured me all the ladies in Stars Hollow are wearing these this season," he said seriously. Then he laughed. "That store was great! You can get anything there."

"So I see." She held up the hat again and laughed with him. "It will keep me warm," she admitted. She allowed him to set the hat on her head and tie it securely under her chin. "How do I look?"

"Kirk knows what he's talking about," Logan said with a nod. "Okay," he rubbed his gloved hands together. "So what are we building here?" He looked around at the crowd slowly gathering with them in the Square to begin their own snowmen.

"It's a secret. We don't want to give ourselves away too early. Right now, we just need to build your typical snowman. Trust me, it will all make sense soon enough." With that, she knelt down and began piling the snow into formation. She looked up. "You going to stand there and look pretty, Huntzberger? Come on!"

"Okay." Logan stepped back and surveyed the work they had finished in the past hour. The general shape of a snowman was there. "Care to tell me how exactly this is going to be better than every other snowman here? I mean, Kirk and Lulu are building a snow-bot! Babette and Morey are doing an entire family of snow gnomes. Sookie is frosting a giant snow gingerbread man. With real frosting! We've got a snowman. A plain old snowman."

"It is not just a boring old snowman!" Rory protested. She looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them before stepping closer to Logan. "Okay, hand me the bag." She pulled out the green and red plaid button down cardigan. "Oh, this is perfect. You really did do a good job."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so we've got a red and green sweater and a beard. Are we making Santa Claus?"

"Nope." She worked to get the cardigan to fit around the middle of the snowman. She turned and grinned at him. "We've got ourselves a snow Taylor Doose."

"Ace!" Logan shook his head and laughed. He stepped back and watched as she rearranged the beard along the top part of the snowman. "Isn't that going against regulation or something?"

"Whoa, check it out, it's Taylor!" Babette shouted from across the Square. She gave them a mittened thumbs up. "Boy is he going to freak out when he sees that, ain't he Morey?" Morey nodded from under his black hat. "That's great. Hey Logan,good to see you back!"

"Hi Babette," he called back with a wave. He leaned forward. "I think every woman in this town has the hots for me."

"Not just the women, Kirk too," she pointed out. She smiled at him from the opposite side of the snowman. "I'm glad we're doing this here," she said as she looked around. "I've missed a lot of this stuff in the last couple of years."

"Speaking of that." Logan was about to try to ask her again why she was in Stars Hollow in the first place when there was a commotion as Taylor came strolling by.

"What's going on here?" he asked, stopping in front of them. Rory quickly removed the beard from the snowman before he saw it. "I don't remember signing a registration form for the two of you."

"Sure you did," Logan said as he stepped forward. He held up the forged piece of paper. "See?"

"Hmm." Taylor frowned. He inspected the signature and shrugged. "That is a fantastic sweater you've got on this snowman," he said. "What is this supposed to be?"

"Santa Claus," Rory said quickly, trying to keep from giggling. "You know, when he's not working. When he's just relaxing up at the North Pole?"

"Very clever!" Taylor praised. He turned and looked at the rest of the crowd. "Unofficially, I'd say you all have some serious competition here!" He smiled at them. "Carry on." And he was on his way.

Rory reattached the beard and continued to mess with it. "Well that was close," she mock whispered. Finally, she stepped back. "We're missing something," she fretted. "I mean, you and I can tell it's Taylor, but it's missing something. What is it missing?"

Logan stepped back and looked at the snowman with her. "I know what we're missing. Hang on, I'll be right back!" He sprinted away from her before she could even answer. She watched curiously as he went over to where Miss Patty was helping one of her dance classes build a ballerina and pull her aside.

"I know that look." Rory turned around to see Sookie grinning at her knowingly.

"What look?"

"That I'm so hopelessly in love with the guy but am trying to play it cool look." Sookie nudged her. "You must be so happy to have him back, huh?"

Rory bit the inside of her cheek. "It is nice," she said carefully. "But we're taking it slow," she added quickly.

"Well, he looks like he's having fun." Sookie laughed. "It's not always so easy for an outsider to fit in here, you know? And then with that stunt he pulled yesterday, you're lucky Taylor's not watching you guys like a hawk."

"Everyone else seems to be doing that for him," Rory said pointedly.

"Oh that." Sookie waved her hand around carelessly. "We're all just happy to see you happy again. "

"Not all of you."

"Well, some of us will come around." Sookie patted her shoulder. "I'm off to go get some more icing for our snowman and it looks like your man's coming back. Have fun!"

"I've got it!" he said triumphantly. "You're going to love this." He turned and blew a kiss toward Miss Patty, who just winked at him. "And you won't believe the sweet talking I had to do to get it."

"I'm not going to fight Miss Patty for you," she said plainly. "I wouldn't stand a chance."

"You have nothing to worry about there."

"Okay, so what did you get?" She looked at him expectantly and squealed delightedly when he proudly held up the gavel Taylor used for every town meeting. "That's perfect!" Without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck in a hug. His own arms wrapped around her waist and they stayed like that for a long moment. She pulled away shyly and smiled at him again. "We so have this now!"

After another twenty minutes of preparation, their snow Taylor was finally finished, and everyone else them was wrapping up as well. Taylor was making the rounds again, this time with his clipboard, and he was close to announcing the winner.

He paused in front of their snowman and frowned. "I don't recall Santa having a brown beard," he said as he turned to face them. "And is that... that's my gavel! What is going on here?"

"You got us," Logan said before Rory could open her mouth. "It's not Santa at all. Actually Taylor, we ran the gamut of great men to immortalize in snow. You know, like Obama, George Washington, the Beatles." Rory choked back a laugh. "And when it really came down to it, we knew what we had to do. If we wanted to immortalize a great man, it had to be you." He turned and nudged Rory. "Right, Ace?"

"Right," she managed to say before clamping her mouth shut again.

"Well!" Taylor stood still for a moment. "I don't know what to say. You certainly get points for creativity, you two." He smiled again. "I had my doubts about you, young man, after yesterday, but you might just be okay after all." He turned back to the snowman again. "It is a handsome devil of a snowman, isn't it?" he murmured, marking down notes on his clipboard. "Very nice indeed." He smiled once more and moved onto the next snowman.

Rory couldn't contain it any longer and burst out laughing. "Immortalizing a great man in snow?" she asked breathlessly. "You compared him to the Beatles?"

Logan shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?" He slung an arm over her shoulder and they both looked up at the snowman again.

"We're so winning this!"

* * *

"I can't believe we lost," Logan muttered as he pulled out a chair for Rory. The snowman contest had just ended and the two of them had decided to cap off the afternoon with dessert at Westin's Bakery.

"It was a technicality," Rory insisted. "We would have won. We _did _win, but no. Kirk had to run up and admit to forging Taylor's signature on the registration form to eliminate us." She sighed. "You should have known better than to trust him." They both looked out the window to see Kirk and Lulu heading toward the bakery; Kirk displaying his new trophy proudly.

"Believe me, I'll know better for next time." Logan stared hard at Kirk through the window, until he abruptly turned around and began walking quickly in the opposite direction. Logan laughed. "Okay, that was kind of fun," he admitted. He watched as Rory slipped her mittens off and held her hands to the mug of hot chocolate that was just set in front of her and frowned. "Are you still cold?" he asked worriedly.

"A little," she said with a smile. "I'm fine though."

He kept frowning. "Honor should have warned us we'd be spending the day outside. What if you get sick now?"

She laughed. "I'm fine," she insisted. "And this afternoon was a lot of fun. You'll have to thank Honor for me." She took a sip of cocoa and smiled at him again. "Are there any more cards?"

"Just one." He held it up. "Ready to see what it says?"

"Oh I can't wait."

Logan read it quickly and looked over at her. "We're supposed to share a secret with each other."

"A secret," she repeated. "About anything?"

"It doesn't list any restrictions." He ate a bite from his cake and then looked at her. "I'll go first, if you want," he offered.

"Wow, not even going for rock paper scissors this time?"

"Nah, I can handle this one." He laughed. "A secret, let's see. Did you know that there are two reasons I came to Stars Hollow yesterday?"

"You wanted to become Taylor's BFF?"

"Okay three reasons." Logan shook his head. "I hadn't exactly been in the greatest mood since we saw each other last month," he admitted. "I was kind of an asshole to pretty much anyone who tried to talk to me. I couldn't stop thinking about you and what had happened and..." he shrugged. "I didn't know what to do." He shrugged. "And then I did something you would be proud of. I made a pro-con list."

Her face lit in a smile. "You did not!"

"I did," he affirmed. "But it wasn't enough. I kept reading it over and over, and I couldn't get past a few of the cons."

She looked down at her pie. "So what happened?"

"A hooker showed me what I was missing out on," he said without missing a beat.

Rory choked on her hot chocolate. "I'm sorry, a hooker?"

He nodded. "Holly. That was her name. Don't worry, she was off duty at the time."

"And that makes it better how?"

He laughed. "Holly and I had a talk over drinks the night before I came here. She listened while I told her about you and I, and well," he shrugged. "She pretty much told me what a jackass I had been and was still being, and told me I better get over myself and come after you."

"Do you regularly get advice from hookers?" Her eyes narrowed.

"No, I can honestly say this was the first time. And you know what, she was right too. I did need to be here." He smiled at her then.

"I wonder how many great love stories begin with, 'so I was talking to this hooker,'" Rory mused. She looked over at him again. "So can I see this pro-con list I still don't believe you made?"

"Nope. But believe me, in the last two weeks I have made many pro-con lists. I see why you're kind of addicted to them."

She shook her head. "A hooker," she repeated. She couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, that's not a story we should probably share with many other people."

"It'll be our secret," he promised. He leaned back in his seat. "So, can you beat that one?"

She shrugged and stirred more marshmallows into her mug. "I was offered a job at a really great newspaper last week," she said finally. "In St. Louis. I haven't told anyone though, because I turned it down." She shook her head. "It was the first real offer I've had in months, and I said no."

Logan frowned and finally asked the question he'd been wanting to ask all day. "Rory, why are you back in Stars Hollow?"

"What do you mean? I told you, I'm taking some time off."

"Yes, but when you thought that, I didn't realize it meant you were living back at home with your mom. Did something happen after the campaign trail? I just, I don't understand why you'd be back here permanently."

Her face darkened. "It's not permanent!"

"No? How long have you been back?"

"Three months," she admitted. "But Logan, it's not like I'm here for good. I'm just here--"

"What happened to you?" He knew his face showed his concern. "When you graduated you were so determined to be going places. You spent an entire year on the road with one of the greatest jobs you could have had starting out, and now you're back here?" He looked around. "I mean, its a great place, yeah, but this was not what you wanted out of life."

"Nothing happened!" she insisted.

"Then what? Was it Lorelai? Did she throw so much guilt at you for being gone for so long that you had to rush back here to make her happy?"

"Leave my mom out of this," she warned tightly.

"I'm right, aren't I?" he asked. "She's holding you back still, and you're only too happy to let her, aren't you?"

"You think this is because I'm scared to leave my mommy?" she snapped. "You really think I'm that pathetic? If you do, then wow, I would ask myself why I was here if I was you! Do you know what it was like, getting off of that stupid bus and realizing I didn't have a job to come back to? During one of the worst recessions this country has ever seen? Print sales were down, Logan, way down. No one was hiring! I was lucky to find the work I did find, but none of it made me happy and I had enough money saved up so I came home for awhile to figure things out. There is nothing wrong with that," she insisted.

"You're right, there's not. But Rory, you just told me that you just turned down a job. Why? What is keeping you here right now?"

"It's not the job I wanted, okay? It's a great job, but I did not want it." She shook her head. "Not all of us can go running back to Daddy when we need a job." She snapped her mouth shut and looked up at him. "Logan, I didn't..."

He shook his head. "You think that's how it went? That I failed at my own job and went running back to Mitchum because I didn't have anywhere else to go? He sought me out, Rory. He came to me and asked me to come back. I didn't beg him for my job."

"And how would I know that?" she shot back. She shook her head. "This is exactly what I meant when we said we didn't know each other anymore." She pushed her chair back.

"What? So you're just going to leave?"

"It's getting late, and I think we should probably stop before either of us says something we might regret later."

"Rory."

She held up her hand and smiled tiredly. "I had a really great time today, Logan," she said softly. "Please, can we just leave it at that. It was an amazing first date, I don't want it to be ruined."

He stared at her for a minute before he finally shook his head. "Yeah okay. Let's go." He dropped a few bills on the table and stood up. "At least let me walk you home?" He was relieved when she nodded. They gathered up their things and left the bakery.

"So, can I still call you tomorrow?" Logan asked as they walked up the steps to her house.

She turned and looked at him, surprised. "You still want to?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well you never know, I might have to sit home with my mom and knit tea cozies," she said sarcastically.

He sighed. "Let's just forget what I said back there, okay?"

She closed her eyes. "Only if we forget what I said too?"

"Deal." He shook her hand firmly. "I had a lot of fun today," he said sincerely, his hand still holding hers. "One of the best first dates ever, if I say so myself."

"It was pretty epic," she agreed. "Thank you." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek quickly. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." She smiled at him once more and stepped into the house, closing the door behind her.

"You're home early," Lorelai said, looking up in surprise. "I hear you made quite the spectacle at the snowman contest. A snow Taylor? That's pretty brilliant if I say so myself."

"Yeah, we would have won, but, you know Kirk." She shrugged.

"Oh yeah. So," Lorelai took a deep breath. "How was the date? Want to come sit down and tell Mommy all about it?" She tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, but failed miserably.

Rory stepped back. "No," she said shortly. "If you don't mind, I'm just going to go take a hot shower and get out of these wet clothes."

"Hopefully you'll get out of the wet clothes before stepping into the shower," Lorelai pointed out helpfully.

"I'm not two," Rory snapped. "I don't need you telling me how to do things anymore."

"Whoa, settle down there Kid." Lorelai looked confused. "Are you sure you're okay?'

Rory sighed. "I'm fine, I'm sorry. It's just been a weird day. I'm going to go take my shower." She headed upstairs without another word, leaving Lorelai more confused than ever.

Meanwhile, Logan was deep in thought as he was on his was out of town for the night. So the night hadn't ended as well as he had wanted it to, at least it hadn't gone horribly wrong. He tried to talk himself out of his next move, but he failed after ten minutes and picked up his phone.

"Dad, it's Logan. Call me when you get this." He sighed.

" I need a favor."


	5. Sleigh Ride

**Author's note: **Happy New Year, everyone!! First of all, I have to apologize. I made some promises that this chapter was going to be posted oh, about 24 hours ago, but well... the New Year's Eve celebrating got started a little early for this girl, and it didn't happen. It's here now though, and even though I _never_ make it a point to plead for feedback, let me just say that in 4 hours, it will be my birthday and you know what would be awesome? Reviews, of course! They would make me happy. And if I'm happy, perhaps I'll post the next chapter before my birthday is up. I'm just saying.

Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Four – Sleigh Ride**

_Come on, it's lovely weather  
__for a sleigh ride together with you ~The Ronettes_

"It's a bad idea," Mitchum stated flatly.

"It's not a bad idea," Logan insisted. It was later that evening and after making the phone call to his father, Mitchum had suggested that he come over to discuss things in person. "She needs this, Dad."

Mitchum raised an eyebrow at him. "She needs me to get her a job? Son, I know I haven't talked with Rory lately, but I have an idea if she heard you say that it would not go over very well at all. In fact, I'm willing to bet it would piss her right off."

"Well I wouldn't say it like that," Logan protested, running a hand through his hair. "She's just staying there, in here mother's house, with no job that I know of, and she's turning down jobs because they're too far away."

"Is that what she told you her reason was?"

"No," he admitted. "But what else could it be?"

"Maybe that's a conversation you should be having with her and not me," Mitchum suggested. He sat down across from Logan and looked at him pointedly.

"She doesn't want to talk about it," Logan said.

"Then maybe you should take her lead and drop it for now."

"Why won't you just help me with this? Can't you just admit you were wrong and that she has the talent?" Logan asked. "You know she does!"

"She is a perfectly capable writer," Mitchum agreed. "And, if it's what you really want, then yes, I will get Rory whatever job you want me to get her. But ask yourself this first, Logan. Is it what she really wants? Do you really think that she will fall all over herself thanking you profusely for handing her a job?

Logan sighed and dropped his head down. "She would hate it," he finally admitted. "I don't know what else to do though, Dad. She can't waste her life away in Stars Hollow, she's so much better than that." He looked up when he heard Mitchum chuckling at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Mitchum cleared his throat. "So... Rory. She's back in the picture now?"

"I'm trying," Logan said honestly. "And I really don't need a lecture on what a bad idea that is."

"Then you should probably stay clear of your mother," Mitchum said mildly. "I don't suppose I have to tell you there's been talk since Thanksgiving about the two of you, and Shira is, well, less than thrilled as you can imagine."

"Yes, I'm really concerned with that," Logan remarked dryly. He cracked a smile as Mitchum laughed again. "I just want to help her."

Mitchum crossed his arms in front of him. "Maybe she's transitioning," he said. "Think about it, Logan. She was on that campaign trail for over a year. She had very little political expertise at the time. And traveling on a bus day in and day out is nowhere near as easy as hopping a red eye flight." He shrugged. "Okay, let's try thinking about it this way. You were never given an opportunity to take time off. I pushed you very hard from the minute you graduated Yale, and I'm not apologizing for that. But, look what happened because of that. You made some choices I didn't agree with and you ran off to San Francisco."

"So you think its just as simple as she's taking time off?"

"Yes I do. Now, if you want to keep pushing this with her, then you need to be discussing it with Rory. And then if she wants a job and wants my help in securing one, we can revisit this conversation. Do you want my advice though?"

"Okay."

Mitchum chuckled again. "Let it go. If she wants your help, she will ask you. Until then, take her out to dinner, someplace fancy, and apologize for what you said to her. And take a gift. Always have a gift ready." Mitchum smiled again. "I never disapproved of the girl, Logan."

Logan thought his words over. "Thank you," he said finally. "Okay, I should get going. There's a teleconference tomorrow morning with London and I still have some numbers to go over."

Mitchum nodded. "I'll be on the call as well. Good-night, Logan."

"Night Dad. And thanks again." Logan stood up and left the office. He was almost out the front door when Shira swooped in.

"Logan, I thought I heard you come in earlier." She arched an eyebrow at him. "You weren't leaving without saying hello or goodbye to your mother, were you?"

"Hi Mom," he said patiently. He obligingly kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, I hadn't planned on coming over, but I needed to discuss something with dad before the meeting tomorrow morning."

"Well now that you're here, you can stay for dinner," Shira said cheerfully. "You know Logan, would it really have been so much trouble to let your own mother know you were in town for the holidays. If it wasn't for Honor, I wouldn't have even known you weren't in California right now."

"I really can't Mom."

"A drink then. I know you won't turn down a drink." Shira pulled Logan into the sitting room and began fixing drinks. "I'm very glad to see you. Would it really have been so much trouble to let your own mother know you were in town for the holidays? If it wasn't for Honor, I wouldn't have even known you weren't in California right now."

"It was a spur of the moment trip." He made a mental note to thank Honor again.

"Yes, Honor mentioned that too. Here you go." She handed him a drink and sat down. "I have to tell you, Logan, I don't like some of the stories I've been hearing about you lately."

"I don't suppose this has anything to do with a hooker named Holly?"

"Don't play games with me, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Everyone is saying you're back with _her_." Shira didn't bother to hide the distaste in her voice. First, you run off with her at Thanksgiving in front of anyone, and now I'm hearing that she is the reason you're even back here in the first place. And let's not mention the little stunt you pulled in that town of hers."

"How do you even know about that?"

"Please." Shira gave him a bored look. "As I was saying, I don't like what I'm hearing. Did you forget already what she did to you? What she did to this family? Logan, she _refused_ you! I know this girl is supposed to be smart, but when a Huntzberger proposes to you, the last thing you do is say no. And if that girl is stupid enough to say no to you, you don't go running back to her. You count your blessings that she is out of your life and you move on." Shira paused to take a drink. "You're too good for her, Logan. I've always said that, and she proved me right when she pulled that stunt of not accepting your ring."

"You can stop calling her that girl, or her, her name is Rory," Logan said tightly.

Shira rolled her eyes. "Fine, _Rory _made a fool of you and I will not let you forget that. She is the last person you need to get caught up with again. You have done very well for yourself these last couple of years, and you're just starting to settle into your family obligations the way we'd hoped you would. Bringing her back into your life can do no good."

Logan slammed his glass down on the table next to him and stood up. "Thanks for the drink, Mom. I'll see myself out."

"Oh sure, walk away from me now." Shira followed him back into the hallway. "Mark my words Logan, she hasn't changed. She still doesn't want any part of this life, and you're a bigger fool than I thought you were if you think for one minute, she's going to magically fall in line. Oh!" She grimaced. "I could wring Honor's neck for putting these thoughts back into your head."

"Good-bye Mom. Great seeing you again." He turned and walked out the door.

Once in his car, Logan felt like banging his head against the steering wheel. Why Honor would even mention any of this to their mother in the first place was beyond him. Shira was never his and Rory's biggest supporter, and he didn't expect her to be any different this time around; but he could do without having Rory's rejection thrown back in his face as many times as she had mentioned it in their ten minute conversation. He backed the car out of the driveway and reached for his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey." He paused. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm good." Rory's voice was a little curious. "I finally warmed up after a 40 minute shower," she added with a laugh. "And now I'm curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee and a book I'm determined to finish before I fall asleep. Life is good."

Logan laughed with her. "I won't keep you long then," he promised. "I just wanted to say again that I'm sorry for what happened at the bakery today and that I didn't mean what I said."

"It's okay," she insisted quietly.

"Okay." There was an awkward pause and Logan cleared his throat. "Okay yeah, well like I said, I just wanted to say that, and well, to talk to you once more before I settled in for the night. I've got a big meeting at five in the morning I haven't even started preparing for yet."

Rory laughed. "Always the procrastinator," she teased lightly. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"Yeah, I'm not real worried. All right, I'll let you go. Enjoy the rest of your book."

"I hope to. Don't stay up too late. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Count on it. Good night, Ace."

"Good-night, Logan."

* * *

Rory set the phone down and picked her book up again. She felt someone's eyes on her and looked up again. "Hey Luke. Busy night tonight?"

"Bit of a rush at dinner, then it slowed right down." Luke cleared his throat. "Your mom home?"

"She went to Sookie's a bit ago. I'm sure she'll be home soon."

"Are you busy?"

"Me?" Rory blinked. "No, not at all. What's up?" She set her book aside and tucked her legs beneath her.

Luke sat down on the other couch and slapped his hands against his knees a few times nervously. "So there's been a lot of excitement lately," he began cautiously.

"There has," she agreed neutrally.

"Kind of came out nowhere, didn't it?" He asked. "I mean, up until this all started again, I don't think I'd even heard you mention his name at all."

"That's because I haven't," Rory admitted.

Luke nodded. "How are you doing with it all? I mean, you seemed pretty happy at the diner today. And everyone in town is talking about you guys in the park."

"We built a snowman," Rory pointed out. "It's not like he threw me down in the snow and had his way with me."

"Aw geez." Luke waved a hand at her. "I'm just saying, or asking rather, if things are going well?"

"I don't get what the big deal is," Rory protested as she stood up. She began pacing. "It was one date. We had lunch, we played in the snow. Did it go well? Mostly, yeah. Does that mean anything?" She shrugged. "I really couldn't tell you."

Luke held up his hand. "I'm just saying," he began patiently. "That this is all very new, and not just to you. You've had since Thanksgiving to come to terms with bringing Logan back around. Your mom's had two days. And two days isn't very long at all, especially when she's had two years to hate him for treating you the way he did."

"She doesn't have any reason to hate hi--"

"Rory." Luke sighed. "I know how bad it was then. I know how you put on a show for everyone else but your mom. I know about the nights she stayed up until sunrise listening on the phone as you cried yourself to sleep. How she took the brunt of it when you went from sad to angry and had no one else to lash out at. She took everything you threw at her because she's your mom, and she loves you. She never thought twice about it. But I saw what it took out of her. She hated not being able to do more with you being so far away, and she was scared. She was terrified that she wasn't doing enough, that she wouldn't be able to keep you from doing something stupid."

Rory sat back down and closed her eyes. She had been trying her hardest to forget those first couple of months after graduation. "It was bad," she admitted. "I know that. But Luke, mom helped so much. She did. She was amazing."

"Which is why you need to give her a break now," Luke said pointedly. "Rory, she's scared out of her mind that she's going to have to pick you up off the floor again. She doesn't want you to have to go through any of that ever again. I can't say I want to see it either."

"So I'm just supposed to walk away from all of this?" Rory asked. "Not take a chance on him again because I might get hurt? Might I remind you of a time I had to pick my mother up off the ground after the two of you broke up?" She crossed her arms in front of her defiantly. "What if she hadn't taken that second chance with you, Luke? You wouldn't be here right now."

Luke nodded. "You're right, but still I just don't thi--"

"It's not like anything's happened!" Rory insisted. "Seriously, I haven't done anything for anyone to worry about. I don't even know that I want him back."

"Oh please." Luke snorted. "Rory, we wouldn't be having this conversation if you hadn't made your mind up already! Even I can see it written all over your face and I'm usually pretty clueless to these types of things."

"And maybe you still are, because I have not made up my mind," she repeated. "I'm just testing the waters." She picked up her book and moved to leave the living room. "Thanks for the talk, Luke, but I'm going to go finish reading."

"Rory wait." She paused and turned to look back at him. "You're an adult, I know this and deep down your mom does too. You're free to make your own choices, and I hope that whatever you choose, you'll be happy. But," he hesitated. "Cut your mom some slack, okay?" He held up his hand quickly. "I'll tell her to back off some too, don't worry. You both need to give each other a break here."

Rory relented. "I'll try," she said finally. She offered him a small smile. "Good-night, Luke. And thanks."

"Good-night." Luke sighed heavily as he heard her bedroom door click shut. He shook his head and started for the kitchen. If he was going to convince Lorelai to back off of Rory even the slightest, he was going to have to do so with cake. Preferably chocolate.

* * *

_December 16th, 2009_

"Shit." Logan looked at his watch and then looked back at the mound of paperwork sitting on the desk. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and drained the last of the coffee from his cup. The meeting had not gone as well as he had hoped it would, and there had been more issues than either he or Mitchum had anticipated. He had been going over everything for the last six hours and there was no end in sight.

His phone rang and he jumped, knocking the coffee cup off of the desk. "Hello?"

"Logan." Mitchum's voice was grim. "I'm sending a car, you need to pack for New York."

"New York? Dad, I can't."

"It's not up for negotiation, Logan. London is already flying in, the West Coast is too. I'll meet you on the plane."

Logan sighed. "Dad, I really can't make this trip, you can do it without me."

"I can't. You know the data better than anyone." Mitchum paused. "She'll understand, Son. If she really wants back into your life, she'll understand that work doesn't fall by the wayside for romance every single time. In fact, forgive me for saying so, but if she wants back in, she may as well start getting used to this now."

"Yeah." Logan glanced at the paperwork in front of him again and closed his eyes. "Yeah okay, I'll start getting ready."

"See you in one hour." Mitchum disconnected the phone before Logan could say anything more.

"Shit," Logan repeated, dropping his head onto the desk. He picked up his phone again and made the phone call he didn't want to make.

"No, it's fine." Rory took a deep breath and wandered out of her bedroom. "I get it, Logan. I didn't expect you to take a leave of absence from work or anything like that."

"I didn't expect to just up and have to leave with no notice," Logan said apologetically.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"No more than two days. I really don't think it will take any longer than that. I think once we're all in the same room we can get this figured out."

"Sounds serious." She nodded at Lorelai, who was sitting at the kitchen table, and reached for a mug to pour some coffee.

"It's not yet, but it could turn catastrophic if we don't get it settled soon."

"Catastrophic, huh? I hope for your sake then that you get it taken care of soon. Have a safe flight, Logan."

"Thanks. I'll call you as soon as I know when I'm coming back. Oh hey! How was the end of the book?"

Rory smiled. "It was perfect, thank you."

"Good. Okay, talk to you soon."

"Bye." She set the phone down and finally looked over at Lorelai again. "Hey," she said, sitting down across from her.

"Hey." Lorelai slid a plate toward her. "Cake?" She gestured to the two tiered frosted concoction in front of her.

Rory raised her eyebrow. "It's not even lunch time yet."

"Right. Cake?"

Rory shrugged and picked up a fork. "Not going into work today?"

"Taking a day off." She nodded at Rory's phone. "Logan going back to California already?"

"New York," she said, failing to keep the edge out of her voice.

Lorelai nodded. "We didn't talk much about your date yesterday. Did you have fun?" She cut another piece from the cake and clinked her fork against the plate. "I mean, I hear that you had fun from everyone else, but you kind of blew me off when you got home."

Rory sighed. "About that. I'm sorry. Logan and I kind of got into it, and I was a little freaked out. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"Is everything okay?"

"You mean did Logan find a way to screw this up already?" Rory shot back.

"Hey." Lorelai shook her head. "I took your crap yesterday and the day before. I'm not really looking to take it again, not three seconds after you apologized for it. All I did was ask you if everything was okay. Clearly, I got my answer."

"Things are fine," Rory said finally. "I mean, they aren't perfect, but they're okay." She took another bite. "Logan asked me why I wasn't working right now."

"I'm kind of curious to that answer myself," Lorelai admitted. "What did you tell him?"

She shrugged. "The truth. That I was taking some time off, that I hadn't found a job I really wanted to take yet." She purposely didn't mention the job she turned down in St. Louis. "He seems to think there's more to the story. That I'm being held back." She ducked her head. "That you are holding me back.'

"Me?" Lorelai blinked. "Did he blame me for world hunger too? What did I do? And how am I holding you back?"

"You're not," Rory said quickly. "But he said it, and then I said something about him running back to Mitchum to get a job and you can imagine how well that went over and yeah." She shook her head. "We got over it, but there's still this weird tension when we talk. Awkward moments of silence and all. And now he's going to New York and I won't see him for a couple of days." She shrugged again. "Maybe it's not worth the trouble, you know?"

Lorelai bit her lower lip. "I already told you I can't tell you what to do, Rory."

"Not even if I'm asking you to?"

"Especially then," she said firmly. Her talk with Luke the previous night was still fresh in her head. "You need to figure this one out on your own. You're smart enough to make the right choice, Rory. If you think it's worth sticking this out for, then do it. If you think you're wasting time, then don't."

Rory nodded and looked down at her plate. "It's worth it," she admitted finally.

"Okay then. There's your answer for now." Lorelai took another bite of her cake.

"This is really good cake," Rory said, taking a second piece. "Luke knows what he's doing."

"Yeah." Lorelai swallowed. "He really does."

* * *

_December 18th, 2009_

"Hey," Logan smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "You made it. I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up. The flight was delayed and I knew there wasn't enough time to get from the airport to you and then back here in time for our reservation."

"Oh it's fine," Rory said with a wave of her hand. "And you didn't have to send the car, I could have driven into Hartford myself."

Logan waved his hand dismissively. "Admit it, you've missed the cars being sent for you," he teased. "And I've missed sending them to you."

"You do know how to spoil a girl," she admitted. "So, reservations, hmm?"

"Ah yes. A gift, believe it or not, from my father. An apology for keeping me in New York for so long." Logan laughed at Rory's arched eyebrow. "What? He did feel bad. Bad enough to get us reservations at Max Downtown with about three hour's notice anyway."

"Ah, that would explain why I had to dress up," Rory said. "It all makes sense now."

"Speaking of," Logan held the door open for her. "You look beautiful, as always."

She smiled. "It's been a long time since I had anything to wear anything so fancy," she teased. She had panicked, when Logan had left her a message earlier that evening with the instruction of dressing appropriately for the night. She was saved; however, and with Lorelai's help, was able to put together an outfit suitable for the night.

"What? You don't dress up in Vera Wang to eat pizza on the living room floor anymore?" Logan asked as they were escorted to their table.

Rory laughed. "That only happened once! And if I recall correctly, it was because I tripped over your briefcase and twisted my ankle and you decided we had to stay in instead."

"I believe that's how it happened, you're right. And don't even try to deny it, you had fun that night."

"I did," she agreed. "So, how did everything go?" For the next several minutes, Logan described his business trip to her in between ordering their meals and waiting for the wine to be poured.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Logan reached into the pocket of his jacket. "I found something I thought you'd like. Here." .

Rory recoiled at the site of the unmistakeable pale blue jewelry box, almost jumping out of her seat. "Oh, um." She coughed and cleared her throat before finally taking the box from him. "You didn't have to..."

He shrugged. "It just reminded me of you is all. Go ahead, open it."

Hesitantly, she lifted the lid to the box. She looked up at him and smiled. "A charm bracelet?"

"A snowflake charm bracelet," he corrected. "I looked for a snowman one, but Tiffany's only does snowflakes. I thought it would remind you of our first date," he added with a smile.

"And our second," she said, smiling back. "It's beautiful, thank you."

"You're welcome." They ate in silence for awhile before Logan set his fork down. "I couldn't help but notice your first reaction to the bracelet," he said finally.

Rory shook her head. "Not to the bracelet, to the box," she said finally. She put her own fork down and looked him straight in the eye. "It looked like the box you had the engagement ring in."

"Oh." Logan nodded. "And you weren't sure how you were going to reject another proposal?"

"Logan."

"I'm sorry, it was a joke. A bad joke," he conceded. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I didn't even think about that."

She cracked a smile. "You can't help it that you've got it permanently ingrained in your head that all girls love pretty things from Tiffany's."

"Are you saying you don't? Because if that's the case, I can take this back." He went to reach for the bracelet but she snatched it away from him.

"Don't you dare," she said with a laugh. They finished their meal in companionable silence and she watched curiously as Logan checked his watch and pushed back his chair. "You got another date?" she asked dryly.

He glared at her. "Just making sure we aren't late to the next part of our date."

"I love how dates with you now consist of parts and phases," she remarked as she pushed back her own chair. "They were never like that before."

"Just keeping you on your toes," he said as he helped her into her coat. I hope you brought your gloves with you."

"Why? Are we building another snowman?"

"Okay, let's leave the sarcasm here, okay?" Logan laughed as they walked out of the restaurant. "And no, we are not building another snowman. We are doing this." He gestured behind her. "Although seeing your reaction to the bracelet earlier, in hindsight, this may not have been the great idea I thought it was," he admitted.

Rory smiled as she saw what he was talking about. "A carriage ride?"

He nodded. "Technically, a sleigh ride, but it's pretty much the same idea." He peered at her intently. "Are you mad?"

"Mad that I didn't bring my gloves with me," she said lightly. "Come on!" She pulled him over to the horses.

"I figured you probably would." He helped her up into the sleigh and got in himself. "That's why I brought these." He handed her a pair of gloves.

She smiled at him adoringly. "You really do think of everything!"

"Whatever happened to it?" Rory asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" Logan looked sideways at her. They were nearing the end of the sleigh ride and he wasn't sure what she was talking about.

"The ring," she explained. "What did you do with it?"

"Oh." He sighed. "I'm not sure what you want to hear."

"How about the truth?"

He nodded and leaned forward to ask the driver to extend their trip, and slipped him a fifty-dollar bill when he agreed. "I wish I could say I held onto it," he said as he settled back next to her. "That it's buried in a drawer somewhere at home and I was waiting for the day when I could finally put it on your finger."

"But?" she prodded gently.

"But I was pissed off," he admitted. "I was furious that you said no, Rory. It honestly had never occurred to me that when I asked you, you wouldn't be jumping into my arms and screaming yes. I hadn't anticipated what would happen if you said no."

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't think I'd say no either," she said softly. She was telling the truth. Up until that night, standing on that floor in front of all of her grandparents' friends, Rory had never imagined she'd ever say anything but yes if Logan ever asked her to marry him.

Logan shrugged. "But you did and I didn't know what else to do but be angry about it. Somehow, I ended up with Colin and Finn on a boat. And the ring ended up somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean." He shook his head. "I probably should have just returned it, but at the time, it seemed very satisfying to throw it off the side of the boat."

"Impressive," she said with a nod. "I can't say that I blame you, but that wasn't a ring out of a gumball machine, Logan."

He nodded. "Did I forget to mention there was a ton of alcohol involved in my decision? Because there was."

"I see." Rory stared past him at the trees lit up on the street. "Has there been anyone serious?" she asked.

He reeled back. "You're all about the tough questions tonight, Ace."

"I'm just curious," she pushed ahead. "So was there?"

"Yeah, I dated," he said defensively. "And there might have been one or two with long-term potential."

"But?"

He sighed. "I wasn't going to get burned again, okay? I wasn't going to put myself out there and let another girl wreck me like you did."

She flinched. "So you just reverted to the Logan I first met? Sleep with them and then never call them again?"

"I didn't say that."

"But that's what you meant."

"What do you want from me, Rory? It's been two years. I wasn't sitting at home every single night saving myself for you."

"I'm not asking if you did!"

"But you asked if I dated. And yes, I did. I'm sure you did too."

"I did," she said quietly.

"Was it serious?"

She nodded. "We thought it was, but then the campaign was over and I didn't stay in Washington."

"He's another reporter?"

She shook her head. "He was a media figure, but not print. And it didn't matter, because in the end, we realized we were just passing time with each other. The break-up was mutual."

"And after that?"

"A couple of dates here and there, nothing earth-shattering."

Logan sighed. "I don't like thinking about you with other guys. Can we talk about something else?"

She laughed, relieved because she didn't particularly care for thinking about him with other girls either. The conversation changed to much lighter topics, and the rest of the evening passed without further incident. Before Rory knew it, Logan was walking her up to the front door at the end of the night.

"The sleigh ride was a nice idea" she said as they walked up the front steps. "I'm glad you thought of it." She nudged his shoulder. "Or did your dad or sister think it up for you?"

He laughed with her. "I actually came up with it all by myself, thank you very much. And I'm glad you like it."

"I do." She rested her head against his arm briefly. "Who's planning the next date? Shira?"

"How'd you know?" He hesitated. "So, you're cool if there's a next date?"

"Well." She smiled slyly. "Only if you think it can top this one?"

"Challenge accepted. So." He stepped closer. "Where are we now on the whole kiss good-night thing?" His eyes lingered over her face for a second. He was slightly disappointed when she reached up to peck his cheek.

"Getting closer," she whispered with a sly smile before slipping through the open front door. "Good-night, Logan." She closed the door before he could say anything, leaving him standing there surprised.

"Getting closer," he muttered as he turned and walked back to his car. As far as he concerned, they were no closer to where he wanted to be then they had been when they ran into each other in November. They had barely talked about anything substantial in the last couple of days, and the only thing they truly succeeded in doing was engaging in tense conversations and stopping short of truly fighting.

Still, as he drove back to his hotel, he couldn't keep himself from smiling. Despite what she wanted him to believe, she was still the exact same girl he had fallen in love with, and if she wanted to keep up the pretense of trying to get to know each other again, he was more than happy to oblige. He was more than happy to jump through whatever hoops she had for him.

He smiled once more as he began to plan the next night's date. Besides, it wasn't as though he was completely new to the games they were currently playing.

He had more than a couple of tricks up his sleeve.


	6. Merry Christmas Baby

**Author's note:** Sooo.... Katie talked me into posting this chapter. It's not like she had to twist my arm though, because I've been dying to post this very chapter since oh... December 2008 when I first came up with the idea for this story. It's true. This is the song that spawned the entire fic. One particular scene in the middle of this chapter is the very first thing I wrote for the story, and the rest has kind of fallen into place around that. That being said, if you're still digging the Christmas music right now, I highly recommend the song, but this version above the rest.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Oh, one last thing! If you haven't already... once you're done reading this, go check out "Road Home" by katiedv and be sure to let her know how amazing her story is! It's the first published for the first RL Fic Exchange, and it is excellent, if I say so myself. The next chapter of this fic will not be posted for another week, possibly two, as I need to finish up my own fic for the exchange.

Happy reading!

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**Chapter Five - Merry Christmas Baby**

_I feel mighty fine, y'all  
I've got music on my radio  
Feel mighty fine, girl  
I've got music on my radio, oh, oh, oh  
I feel like I'm gonna kiss you  
Standing beneath that mistletoe ~ Otis Redding_

"Damn it, he's here," Rory muttered to herself as she ran the last strands of hair through her flat iron. "Mom!" she called, opening her bedroom door slightly. "Logan's here!"

"Already?" Lorelai snorted but didn't look up from her magazine. "Doesn't he remember that he needs to give you at least a fifteen minute grace period to get ready?"

"_Mom_." Her voice carried a warning note. "Will you please just get the door and let him in? And be nice!" She slammed the bedroom door again and spun around in a circle, trying to find not only her boots, but her coat seemed to be missing as well.

Lorelai waited until there was a knock at the door before getting up from the couch and walking slowly to the entryway. She took a deep breath and opened the door. "Hey Logan."

"Hi Lorelai." He ran his hand through his hair uncomfortably. "Ah, um... crap!" His eyes widened. "I'm still on-time, aren't I? I left later than planned, but I didn't give myself enough time. She's not ready yet, is she?"

Lorelai chuckled. "Almost. Come on in, she should be out soon. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Oh, no," he said quickly. "I"m good, thanks." He walked into the living room and noticed Luke and Lorelai's wedding picture on the mantle. "Congratulations on the wedding," he said, turning to smile at her. "Rory said it was beautiful, I'm happy to see you and Luke were able to work things out. Gives a guy hope." He cringed as the words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Thank you, it was a beautiful wedding." Lorelai glanced at the wedding photo herself before turning back to Logan. "So, you're really back in this, huh?"

"I'm trying," he said honestly. "And only if she wants me to be."

"Mmhmm." She sat down, and gestured for him to do the same. "You can understand why I'm not exactly doing cartwheels of joy at that, right?"

"Because you're not exactly the athletic type and the room is too small for cartwheels?"

She cracked a smile. A small one, but a smile all the same. "You walked away from her and you never looked back." She shook her head. "This is _Rory. _I know I may be biased and all, but I don't understand how you can walk away from that girl and let that be the end."

"I looked back," he said quickly. "But I was stubborn. And stupid. Very very stupid." He shrugged slightly. "I didn't want to hold her back," he added quietly. "You might not understand that right now, and it probably doesn't make sense to you, but she didn't want to marry me Lorelai. Not then. I can accept that now, because she was right; she needed to be out in the world, she needed to see what was out there and what she could do and truthfully, I would've been in the way. I would have held her back." He looked up at the mantle again, this time at a picture of Lorelai and Rory. "I looked back," he repeated. "And when I did, I realized that I still loved her. I do still love her, Lorelai, and you can tell her that if you want, or you can let her figure it out on her own." He smiled wanly. "I'm here for the long run this time. I'm not going to push her but I'm not going to turn and run like a coward if she does something I don't like either." He held her gaze for a long second. "I looked back," he added again, for good measure.

Lorelai was silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Fair enough," she said softly.

He nodded back. "And what I just told you?"

"Oh, let's see how long it takes her to figure that out on her own," she said. She turned her head toward Rory's bedroom door. "Are you still alive in there? Because your date here looks pretty snazzy and I'm all on my own tonight!"

"Keep your hands to yourself Mrs. Danes!" Rory yelled back before finally opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. "Sorry, I had a minor shoe emergency," she said with a smile as she walked into the living room.

Logan stood and stared. "Didn't I say we were going casual tonight?" he asked, swallowing hard.

Her brow knitted and she looked down at her jeans and sweater. "I'm not exactly wearing a cocktail dress here, Logan," she said with a small smile.

"Right." He tried to tear his eyes away from the form fitting blue cashmere and dark denim, failing miserably as his eyes only made it as far as the small diamond pendant that sat perfectly at the top of her cleavage.

"I'm still here, you know," Lorelai commented, her voice finally forcing his eyes to snap up to Rory's face. She was laughing at him and as she shook her head, he saw she was wearing the earrings he had given her for Christmas.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "You look amazing," he said honestly. This was the Rory he remembered, unlike the dressed up Rory from last night. He preferred this version of her, from the carelessly sideswept bangs to the clear gloss on her lips. He caught himself staring again when Lorelai began to make gagging noises.

"Maybe you should drive hon," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Someone here may not be able to keep his eyes on the road."

"Mom!" She tried not to blush.

"What? Look at him! He can barely keep his tongue in his mouth." She snapped her fingers at Logan, who blinked and looked at her. "Keep your tongue in your mouth, you hear me?"

"I'll try," he said, recovering quick enough to smirk. "But honestly? Look at her, she's gorgeous."

"She's alright," Lorelai deadpanned.

"Okay!" Rory clapped her hands together, eager to change the topic. "Let's get going, shall we?" She allowed Logan to help her get her coat on before turning back to Lorelai. "Don't wait up," she called as they headed for the front door.

"Hey Logan." Both Rory's and Logan's heads snapped up at Lorelai's voice. "The way I see it, you've got two strikes against you, but you may as well count this right here as a ball."

"Um," Rory interrupted her. "That sounds kind of dir--"

Lorelai cut her off. "Luke and I have been watching old baseball games on ESPN Classics, I think I know where I'm going with this. Logan knows what I'm talking about." She nodded and stared hard at him. "I'd hate to see you strike out, Blondie."

"I'm going for the home run," he assured her seriously, trying to keep a straight face.

Lorelai's face darkened. "Baseball terminology was so not the way I should have gone with this."

"Agreed!" Rory said finally. "If you two are done talking in code, I think it's time for us to go."

"I mean it when I say keep your tongue in your mouth!" Lorelai called back, going back to her magazine. She heard the low rumble of Logan's voice as he whispered something to her daughter, who giggled in return and shook her head as the front door slammed behind them.

She could fight it all she wanted but even Lorelai had to admit that it had been a long time since she had seen Rory this happy. She didn't think it would be long at all before Logan's charm had her daughter completely taken once again.

Glancing back up at the wedding picture on the mantle, she sighed. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

"So," Rory cast a sidelong glance at Logan as he backed the car out of the driveway. "Where are we headed to tonight? Obviously not a five-star fine dining experience seeing as how you stressed the casual attire very specifically."

Logan shrugged. "You can't tell me last night didn't seem awkward to you too," he said as he looked over at her.

She laughed. "It was a little strange," she admitted. "So come on. Where are we going tonight?" she asked. "And did your family pick this as well?"

"Believe it or not, I'm actually able to plan a date all by myself," Logan said, his voice a mixture of sarcasm and awe.

"I have heard that about you," she said, laughing. She settled back into the seat and looked at him expectantly. "No really, I do want to know. Where are we going?"

"I thought we'd play it casual tonight. Drinks and whatnot at Rich Man's Shoe. I checked, they have reopened since Thanksgiving. And from there, well," he shrugged. "We'll play it by ear. A movie maybe? Take in some crazy Christmas lights perhaps?"

"Sounds good." She smiled. They drove in companionable silence for awhile. Rory kept sneaking glances at Logan herself. While he had been staring at her earlier, she had managed to get a couple of good looks herself, and found herself very much enjoying the dark red button down shirt and leather jacket combo he had going on.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked, taking his eyes off the road for a second to look back at her. She shook her head quickly, embarrassed that she'd been caught. "Then what?"

"Nothing," she said, turning her attention to the view outside the passenger side window. _"_You look pretty great tonight too," she said, not turning her head back to him. She heard him laugh and was surprised when his right hand found her left one and curled around it. She stole a quick glance at their entwined hands and squeezed his quickly before looking back at the window at the scenery passing by.

* * *

"Seriously, how can you drink that?" Rory asked, her face scrunching up as their server set their next round of drinks in front of them. Logan picked up his scotch and saluted her with it.

"Seeing as how you're drinking a Captain and Coke, I don't think I have to answer that question." He raised an eyebrow at her from across the booth. "Speaking of, when did you start drinking such cheap rum? What happened to your Midori sours?"

Rory laughed but couldn't keep her face from twisting into a scowl. "Last birthday, I might have overdone it on the Midori," she admitted with a grimace. "And well, without getting too graphic, 10 or so green drinks one night is not a pretty sight the next morning."

"Now that's a story I need to hear!"

She shook her head. "I'd gladly tell it to you, but I'm afraid I don't really remember all that much of it. But back to the scotch. When did you decide you needed to drink like my Grandfather?"

He looked down at his glass a moment, debating his answer. "It seemed like an important drink," he said finally, looking back up at her. "And Dad and my grandpa were always telling me how I was going to be an important man like they were and well," he shrugged. "They drank scotch, so I drank it too."

"Do you like it though?"

"It grows on you," he admitted. "It took awhile, but its not as bad as _you _say it is." He laughed suddenly. "And it's definitely not as bad as that drink Emily had the bartender create for your twenty-first birthday."

Rory laughed with him. "Oh, the Rory!" she remembered with a shake of her head. "Yeah, that was awful, wasn't it? And I drank three of them just to make her happy."

"I can honestly say I didn't drink mine." She looked up at him in surprise. "What? Yeah, you handed me one, but did you really think I was going to drink that?" He laughed at the look on her face. "I handed it off to one of the maids the second you turned your back," he explained, unable to contain his laughter.

"You jerk!" Despite her best efforts, she couldn't keep her lips from twitching. "It was a disgusting drink," she admitted. "But I don't see how scotch could be any better," she added defiantly.

"Only one way to find out." He slid his glass across the table to sit in front of her and nodded at it. "Go ahead. It won't bite."

She laughed and pushed it back to him. "No thank you, I'm good with my drink right here." She tapped the rim of the glass with her finger to punctuate her words.

He shrugged his shoulders and raised the glass to his mouth. "Suit yourself." He was about to take a drink when his phone went off. "Damn. I'm sorry Rory, I need to--"

"Go," she said with a wave of her hand. "You took off from work unexpectedly two weeks before Christmas. Take the call. I'll be right here." She smiled as she watched him slide out of the booth and head toward the back of the bar. She waited until he was out of sight before reaching across the table and bringing his glass back over to her side. Raising it up from the table, she ducked her head and inhaled slowly, closing her eyes and setting the glass back down.

She wasn't exactly telling the truth when she told Logan she hated his drink of choice, but she wasn't outright lying either. Over the years she and Logan had spent together, there had been many drink-fueled nights spent together, and one of her most vivid memories of that time were the late night kisses; the ones tasting of Macallan scotch. She looked around to make sure Logan wasn't anywhere near the table before dipping the tip of her index into the glass and raising it to her lips quickly. She almost shuddered at the taste, it was exactly as she remembered it to be and she felt herself grow warm, acutely remembering the bitter taste on his tongue when he used to kiss her. She pushed the glass back to his side of the table and quickly swallowed some of her own drink, trying to forget the taste.

A few minutes later, Logan still wasn't back and she was staring at the drink across the table from her. Their server came by and asked if they needed anything. Before she could think twice, she found herself rattling off the ingredients of a particularly pink drink to the other girl.

"Sorry about that," Logan said, standing over their booth. He hesitated for a moment before sliding into the booth next to her instead of across from her. "The phone is off for the rest of the night, I promise."

"It's really okay," she assured him. "Everything going good with work now?"

"Oh yeah." He shrugged. "Honestly, everyone is way too worked up about what's going on. It's going to be fine." He took a drink and watched Rory carefully as she swallowed hard and looked away quickly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she answered. She brought her eyes back to his and forced a smile onto her face. "I'm really having fun tonight," she said honestly.

"Yeah?" His smile brightened. "I am too. Don't get me wrong, last night was fun but it was..."

"It was weird," she finished with a nod. " I agree. But it wasn't awful." Their eyes locked for a second and she felt his foot brush against hers under the table. The moment was broken as their server returned, setting the martini glass of vibrant pink down in front of them.

"What is that?" Logan asked, turning to face her.

"That is a proposition," she said with a glint in her eye.

"A proposition? Looks more like Barbie's Dream Drink to me."

She nudged him with her shoulder. "It's your own fault, you're the one who admitted to me you never drank the Rory."

"Oh, I drank the Rory." His voice dropped an octave as he spoke.

Her eyes widened and she smacked his chest with her hand. "Inappropriate!" she hissed, unable to keep the blush from staining her cheeks. She shook it off and set her eyes firmly on his. "You're going to drink this," she proclaimed.

"No I'm not."

"You are," she insisted. She stuck her lower lip out in a slight pout and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

He sighed. "Good to know you still have that look mastered, but no Rory. I'm not drinking that." He looked at the glass disdainfully.

"Well who'd have thought it, Logan Huntzberger is afraid of a little ole' martini," she said tauntingly.

"You forget Rory, I am impervious to your wicked wicked ways." He casually slung an arm around the back of the booth so that the tips of his fingers brushed against her shoulder. "Although...I might agree to a compromise."

"A compromise?"

He nodded and pushed his still full glass of scotch in front of her. "If you drink _this_, I will drink the Rory," he said reluctantly.

She eyed the glass apprehensively. "That's hardly fair," she began to protest before shaking her head and setting her jaw. "Okay, deal." She raised her chin defiantly and picked up the glass, waiting for him to do the same.

Logan smirked and picked up the neon drink. "What shall we toast to?"

She leaned back lightly against his arm and he absently twirled the ends of her hair through his fingers. "To this bettering your chances of drinking the Rory again," she said suggestively.

"_Ace_!" He pretended to look shocked. "Hell, if that's all it's going to take." He clinked his glass against hers and swallowed it quickly, in three long gulps. He set the glass down and looked at it for a second. "Yeah, that was disgusting, definitely not as sweet as the Rory I'm familiar with." He leaned closer. "Though maybe I need a taste to see," he added seductively.

She tried to look offended, but couldn't keep her eyes off of his mouth. "I can assure you, it's just as sweet as you remember it," she said smoothly as she lifted her own drink to her lips.

He looked at her appreciatively but knew when to stop testing his limits. He reached over and took the drink from her hand. "I believe this is the one you meant to grab," he said as he handed her the scotch.

She sighed and looked down at the ice floating in the glass.

He smirked. "Bottoms up, Ace."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She hesitated and then took a deep drink from the glass. She coughed and sputtered as her throat burned and her eyes watered. "That's awful," she gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Seriously, that's not how it tastes when you kiss me."

Logan's eyebrows shot up. "Oh really?" He leaned in closer to her again. "I forget, how does it taste when I kiss you?"

"Not like that." She tried to stay flippant, but failed miserably as she caught herself staring at his lower lip again. She backed away from him and looked around the pub, desperately trying to think of a way to change the conversation.

She took another drink, wincing as she did, and leaned back against the booth. "Can you believe how young everyone here looks?" she asked conspiratorially. "Really? Did we look like that in college?"

Logan looked around and laughed. "We're not exactly sprouting gray hair, Ace. Personally, I think we look pretty damn good for ourselves." He mock glared at her. "Do you have any idea how many guys have been staring at you all night long? Do they even know who I am?"

She tossed her head back as she laughed with him. "If they don't, the girls certainly do. If you ever wanted to relive your glory days, I'm betting there are a few Yalies here who would be more than happy to oblige you."

He shrugged and nudged her foot with his again before taking glass away from her as she went take another sip. She smiled gratefully. "You made your point, you don't have to drink the rest of that." He tugged on the ends of her hair lightly. "Besides, I prefer the company I have at the moment."

"You are still such a flirt," she accused him.

"I am. But I'm not flirting. You'd know if I was flirting."

"Hmm." She took another drink from her own glass and pushed her chair back. "Dance with me?"

He shook his head. "I don't dance."

"You do too!" she protested. "I know it. I've seen it with my own two eyes. I may have even been an accomplice to it once or twice."

"Okay fine. _You _don't dance. You hate dancing."

"Hated dancing," she clarified. "I don't mind it so much anymore. In fact, some might say I'm pretty damn good at it." She held out a hand to him. "Give me a dollar, I'm going to the jukebox."

He handed her the dollar. "Wasting your time, Ace. We're not dancing."

"We'll see." She stood up from the booth and made her way over to the corner where the jukebox stood. Once again, he found himself appreciating her curves as she bent over slightly to make her selection. A quick glance around proved he wasn't the only one enjoying the view and he was actually surprised at the jealousy that flared.

She turned back to him as her song started and motioned for him to follow her to the dance floor. He took another drink and shook his head as Otis Redding started playing from the jukebox. Rory was careful not to bump into anyone else on the floor as she turned her back to Logan and began dancing, glancing at him over her shoulder with a wink.

He remained seated in the booth but Logan's eyes were still on her, taking in every slight swivel of her hips as she finally turned to face him. Her eyes were twinkling as she crooked a finger toward him, beckoning him toward her as she danced. He started to shake his head no again when out of the corner of his eye he saw another guy ready to advance on her. He slammed his glass down and strode out to the floor, taking her into his arms and pulling her close against him, all the while glaring at the other guy, who just nodded his head and sat back down.

Rory laughed at Logan over her shoulder and ran a hand across the arm he had securely around her waist. "Jealous?" she asked lightly.

"I'm sorry, have you seen you?" he growled into her ear, pulling her even closer. "Just letting them know who you're here with."

She twisted herself slowly in his arms until she was facing him, keeping beat with the music the whole time. "I think they got the message loud and clear," she said, looping an arm around his neck while her other hand rested on his hip, her fingers hooking into one of his belt loops. She tugged him even closer and laughed as they spun in a circle and she nearly lost her balance. She tightened her arm around his neck and was suddenly aware of just how close they were. She wasn't even sure they could get any closer if they tried and all of a sudden she was warm again. She bent her head to his shoulder as his hand slid down her back and rested on the curve of her bottom for a split second before resting firmly on her own hip.

"Think you're the only one with moves, do you?" he asked lightly before spinning her out across the floor and back into his embrace again. She raised an eyebrow to him, silently accepting his challenge as she turned slightly so that her back was pressed against his chest. She moved with the music, swaying with the beat and pushing back against him deliberately and slightly.

Logan was exercising every bit of restraint he had to not turn kiss her right in the middle of that dance floor. He was acutely aware of every move her body made, and he had to fight to keep his fingers from digging too tightly into her hips as he held onto her. He held her slightly away from him, partly so that he could enjoy the view, but mostly so that he could gain control of himself again. She looked over her shoulder at him once more and he cursed under his breath as she ran the tip of her tongue across her lip and smiled wickedly at him.

"Tease," he muttered as she turned in his arms to face him again. They were both laughing as he twirled her around once more. The song ended, and she relaxed into his arms as a slower one started. "You never danced with me like that before Ace, I gotta say, I'm a little hurt."

She laughed again and shrugged airily. "I told you, things change, Logan."

"Mmhmm." Suddenly he wondered who she had danced with like that, and he quickly pushed the thought from his mind. "I'm liking the changes so far," he murmured in her ear.

This time she did blush and she tucked her head into his neck again so he couldn't see. Instantly, she was assaulted by his cologne and she was surprised at the tears that formed in the corners of her eyes as she recognized the scent.

Logan felt her tense in his arms and pulled back to look at her. He was surprised to see her blinking back tears furiously. "Hey, what's this?" he asked gently. "I thought we were having fun. Why the tears?" He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear before he could stop himself. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked anxiously.

"No!" She assured him quickly. She looked over his shoulder and took a deep breath. "I'm just being silly. I'll be okay. I promise."

"Tell me," he asked quietly. His hand moved over her back in small circles as he waited for he to speak.

She kept her eyes fixed at a spot over his shoulder as she spoke. "When I was moving out of the walk up after graduation, I found a bottle of cologne that you had left behind," she finally said. "There was maybe only a quarter of the bottle left, and I knew you had another new bottle of it already so it didn't seem like something I needed to return."

"Okay."

She still didn't look at him. "I should have thrown it out, but I didn't," she confessed. "I packed it along with the rest of my stuff and I took it on the road with me when I went." She sighed and took a shaky breath. "So, whenever I got lonely, or homesick, or if the memories of you and I were drowning out everything else going on, I would grab that bottle of cologne and I would spray it. I would spray my pillows and sheets so that I could pretend you were lying next to me when I went to sleep. I would spray my suitcase, so that my clothes would smell like you. Sometimes, I would just spray whatever room I was in, or my hair, or whatever was around me at that time that would carry your scent." She shook her head and blinked back the last of her tears. "It was awful Logan, trying to get over you," she whispered.

Instinctively, his hand pressed deeper into her back. "Then what happened?"

Finally, she looked at him and shrugged sadly. "The bottle ran out," she said softly. "And slowly, your scent faded away. I could have bought another bottle. I almost did," she admitted. "But by that point, almost four months had gone by and as hard as it was, and as much as I didn't want to, I knew I had to move on. I had to finally let go." They danced silently for a bit as Logan processed her words. Her fingers moved from where they were laying against his neck to trace along the base of his hairline, tangling themselves in his short hair. "You're wearing that same cologne tonight." Her lips were dangerously close to his ear.

"Rory?" his voice was rough as the hand against the small of her back dipped under her sweater to caress the skin across her spine.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to kiss you right now."

She brought his head closer to hers. "Not if I kiss you fir--" He kissed her, swallowing the rest of her words as his free hand found its way into her hair and he locked her soundly into his embrace.

She kissed him back, opening her mouth to his before he even asked permission. She was both relieved and pleased to taste the faint traces of scotch on his lips. Her arms latched tightly around his neck as she clung to him, afraid that if she let go, he would too. "I've missed that," she said breathlessly as he descended on her mouth again, this time in a gentler, softer kiss.

He released her finally and buried his face in her hair for a moment. "As much as I don't want to stop, I'd say we've put on enough of a floor show tonight, don't you think?" he asked, reluctantly removing his hands from underneath her sweater.

She flushed, remembering where they were. "I guess you're right," she agreed as they left the dance floor. The ice had melted in their drinks and Logan eyed the glasses before looking back at her.

"Are we done here, or did you want another drink?"

"No more," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Good, I think it's best if we get out of here now anyway." Logan helped her with her coat, blatantly running his hands against her as he did. "Let's get you home, Ace."

"Home?" she looked at him, confused.

"Home," he confirmed. He laughed at the look on her face and leaned into kiss her quickly. "Believe me, there are a couple of things I would rather do, but I think tonight's turned out quite well so far, and I don't want to ruin that." He tucked his arm around her waist and dropped another kiss onto her neck. "But maybe if you ask really nicely, you can convince me to make out with you in the car in your driveway."

She laughed at him. "Yeah, Mom will really love that," she said dryly.

"So is that a no on the making out?"

Her eyes glinted as they walked out of the pub. "Well now wait a minute, I didn't say that!" They were blasted with cold air as soon as they stepped outside and she instinctively turned her body into his just as he pulled her even closer. It was a well-practiced move and it didn't go unnoticed by either of them how quickly they fell into it.

"Are you really taking me home?" Rory asked as they settled into the car.

He looked at her doubtfully. "Like I said Ace, there are a lot of other activities I can think of for tonight, but none of them would be appropriate. Getting you home is the best thing I could do right now."

She pouted and turned her big eyes on him. "You promised me crazy Christmas lights," she said accusingly.

"What?"

"Earlier tonight, when we were talking about what to do tonight. You said something about Christmas lights. I want Christmas lights." She smiled smugly and sat back in her seat.

"Are you drunk?"

She thought for a moment. "Tipsy," she agreed. "You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk," he protested half-heartedly. "I'm warm." His hand settled on the top of her thigh and she had to agree, his hand definitely warmed her.

"So neither of us is drunk," she declared. "There's no reason why we can't have Christmas lights then."

"All right," he relented, turning the car down a road he knew well. Many girls had accompanied him to this spot in years past, though not the one with him now. It led to a small clearing, with very little traffic and a spectacular view of the city. "There," he said, shifting the car into park and switching the headlights off. "There, you've got your crazy Christmas lights." He swept his arm out towards the view. "It's freezing out here," he added after a few minutes.

She nodded as she leaned into him again, resting her head on his shoulder. "Good thing I've got you here to keep me warm," she said as her hands crept under the edge of his shirt.

Logan sucked in his breath as her chilled fingers inched over him, slowly warming against his skin. He bent his head down to say something to her just as she raised hers and kissed him hard. Reluctantly, he pulled away. "Rory," he groaned.

"Logan," she mimicked before leaning forward again. He pulled even further away from her and she arched an eyebrow at him. "You're really going to say no to me right now?" Her hand trailed down to his thigh.

"I'm not saying no, I'm giving you the chance to say no." He swallowed hard as she worked herself deliberately into his lap. "You know, after the last time we--"

"Forget about last time." He tried to resist but this time she managed to kiss him. After awhile, she pulled away and lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug. "I mean, you can take me home if you want, that's fine, but..."

This time he was the one to cut her off with a kiss. "Get back there," he growled, jerking his head toward the backseat. They were both laughing as the tumbled across the seats and he landed on top of her. "Last chance to put a stop to this," he said as his own hands worked their way under her sweater. She shuddered as the cold air hit her but shook her head decisively.

"Better warm me up quick," she murmured as his mouth crashed down on hers again.

* * *

Logan smirked as he rolled his head to the side to look at his disheveled date. "Great idea, Rory, stopping to look at the lights."

"We shouldn't have done that," Rory fretted as she struggled to get an arm back into her sweater. "This was bad. This was very very bad."

He winced slightly but couldn't help but laugh. "I wouldn't say it was bad," he said, pretending to be offended. "I'd even go as far as to say it was pretty damn good. Great even."

"It was great," she admitted, pausing in her redress to grin at him. Then she shook her head. "It shouldn't have happened! It's too soon."

"Rory relax," he said, placing a hand on her leg. "I get that you're still on this kick about us starting everything over so that it's all new. And I get it, I really do. But this?" He gestured between the two of them and the backseat of the car. "This isn't anything new." He chuckled. "It's one of the very many things we're very good at in fact."

She frowned. "Our relationship shouldn't be just about sex, Logan," she said seriously.

"And it's not," he assured her. "Rory, would I have flown three thousand miles just for really amazing sex? I'm not Finn." She tried not to smile. "We're not just about sex. It's one of my favorite things about us, but no, its not the only thing we've got going in our favor. There are so many other things about us that I enjoy just as much. I could give you a list right now if you'd like?"

She shook her head. "That's not necessary." She smiled at him finally. "But thanks for the offer."

"Anytime." His eyes lingered over her for a second. "Okay, are you decent? Ready to let me take you back home?"

"We didn't even get to look at the lights," she protested, her eyes twinkling.

He shook his head. "Oh no, you already got what you wanted from me, Ace, I'm not falling for that again."

She rolled her eyes. The drive back to Stars Hollow was mostly silent. Logan kept stealing glances at Rory, and sighed inwardly. He could see she was working herself up again and wasn't sure how to diffuse the situation.

He pulled the car into her driveway and cut the engine. He looked at her expectantly. "Okay, out with it."

"This didn't count," she said quickly.

"Oh it counted," he said gravely. "Two or three times, if I'm not mistaken."

"Logan!" She tried to keep from laughing but couldn't. "I'm serious, this was just a slip. It doesn't change anything." She lowered her eyes down to her hands folded in her lap. "I'm disappointing you again, aren't I?"

"You're not," he said quickly. He sighed. "Do I want to get used to you calling every time we have sex a mistake? Not really," he admitted. "But I do hear you, and I know what you're saying. But now you need to hear me, okay?"

"Okay."

"You're not running me off this time. You can try, but I'm not going anywhere." He shrugged. "So if tonight doesn't count, then you know what? It means I just have another first time to look forward to. And I promise you, Rory, the next time will count."

"It was definitely three times," she said quickly, looking back up at him.

He shook his head and put an arm around her again. "Good to know. So, where did we land on the whole making out idea?"

She angled her head up and pressed her lips to his. "Fifteen minutes," she agreed, her hand finding its way to the back of his neck.

"Sounds good to me." He laughed into their kiss. "Man, I can't wait to tell Finn what a cheap date you turned out to be."

"Shut up and kiss me, or you're not going to kiss me again the rest of the year." He was only too happy to oblige her. Neither of them noticed the minutes ticking away.

"Finally," Luke muttered as they heard Rory's key turn in the lock. "How long ago did they pull into the driveway?" He and Lorelai were sprawled out on the couch in the living room, ESPN Classics flickering on the television in the otherwise dark room.

"Forty-five minutes ago," Lorelai whispered. "Shh, she's in, pretend you're sleeping." She closed her eyes and did her best to stay still as Rory crept quietly through the house. From under half-closed eyes, Lorelai watched as her daughter moved to the front window to watch as Logan's car drove away before sighing happily and finally making her way into her own bedroom.

"I'm guessing that their date went well," Luke remarked sarcastically once the bedroom door had closed.

Lorelai cringed. "How long do you think it'll be before he starts calling me mom?" she asked dryly.

"How are you feeling about all of this?" he asked quietly.

She shrugged into him, thinking back to the conversation she'd had with Logan earlier that evening. "Could be worse," she admitted reluctantly, closing her eyes for real this time as she snuggled deeper into Luke's arms.

"I don't see how it could be."

"Easy. Logan could have gotten his home run."


	7. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

**Author's Note: **We're getting closer to the end... only 5 more chapters after this one! Once again, thank you everyone who has been reading and reviewing, I am loving the response to this story! This chapter is a bit of filler, but there's a few key points brought up that are definitely necessary for the remaining chapters.

As always, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Six - I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas**_**  
**_

_I want a hippopotamus for Christmas  
Only a hippopotamus will do  
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy  
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy - Gayla Peevey_

_December 19th, 2009_

"You had sex with him again!"

"Lane!" Rory looked toward the other room where Zach was with the babies. "Keep your voice down!" she hissed.

"Sorry." Lane lowered her voice to a whisper. "You had sex with him again!"

"I know!" Rory leaned forward to rest her head on her knees. "I don't know what I was thinking! Okay, I know what I was thinking, but that's not the point. We were at the pub, and we were having a great time, and then we left and--"

"Had an even greater time?" Lane filled in helpfully. She laughed at the look Rory gave her. "What? I'm just saying, I can only assume that it was even better than drinking at the bar." She leaned closer. "So was it? Good, I mean."

"So good," Rory admitted, finally straightening back up to a sitting position with a glassy look in her eyes. She composed herself with a shake of her head and looked back at her friend. "What am I going to do, Lane?" She shook her head again. "I already told him that it didn't count, but seriously? Even I'm not stupid enough to believe that crap!"

"Wait, you said it didn't count? I don't understand. The two of you are back together now, aren't you? I mean, no more of this whole getting to know each other and new beginnings crap, right? No more making the poor guy jump through hoops?"

"I don't know!" Rory buried her face in her hands again. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me? He's doing everything right, but I keep baiting him to see if he'll do something wrong so that I can just call an end to this and be done with it once and for all."

"Is that what you really want?"

"What?"

"To be done with him once and for all. I gotta tell you, Rory, I don't believe that is the case at all. Not even a little bit." Lane shook her head to emphasize her point. "No. You're clearly head over heels for this guy, everyone else can see it, you may as well just admit it to yourself now, before he does take your bait and run."

Rory sighed. "It's not that simple, Lane. I wish it was, but it's not."

"Really?" Lane challenged. She fingered the charm bracelet on Rory's wrist and looked up at her again. "Seems pretty simple to me. He's in love with you and you're in love with him. Only he's got the guts to say it out loud."

"That didn't count either!" Rory insisted.

"You're protesting an awful lot here, best friend."

"He hasn't brought that up yet, you know," she said quietly. "The whole I love you thing." She bit down on her lower lip. "What if he regrets saying it? Do you think he does? He'd probably have brought it up by now if he didn't. Or what if he doesn't remember? What if he really was drunk and doesn't have a clue as to what he said?"

"You could always ask him about it," Lane pointed out logically. She smirked at the look Rory threw her way. "What? You could."

"No I can't!" she protested. "How could I? He'd ask me why I waited to long to ask about it! And then who knows how that conversation would go! The other night we tried to talk about the people we've dated the last couple of years and I swear, Lane, I couldn't even stand to hear the most general statements he had about that whole situation. There's no way I could handle a conversation about how he said he loved me while we were having sex."

"You're so in love with him, Rory."

Rory screwed up her face for a moment and then sighed. "You're probably right," she conceded. She groaned and fell back against the couch. "What am I supposed to do, Lane?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to tell you that. You need to figure it out on your own. But seriously? You are in love with him. Get used to it." She laughed as Rory stuck her tongue out at her. "Yeah, you're still in love with him, only now you're acting like you're twelve."

"I am still in love with him, aren't I?" Rory sighed and dropped her head back into her hands. "Crap. _Crap_"

Lane couldn't keep from laughing. "Oh, the joys of true love," she mused as she patted Rory's arm comfortingly. "Come on, let's get you a cup of coffee and I'll show you the latest selection of toys Zach bought the boys for Christmas that they really don't need."

"I'm home!" Rory called as she walked into the house, shutting the door behind her. "Anyone else here?"

"Kitchen!" Lorelai called.

Rory kicked off her shoes and headed for the kitchen. "What's all this?" she asked, seeing at least half a dozen bakery boxes stacked on the kitchen table. She stepped closer "Mozzicato's?" She looked up again.

Lorelai nodded. "They were delivered this morning. My guess is they're from Logan."

"What makes you say that?"

Lorelai held up an envelope. "The fact that this card says to Rory from Logan." Her voice was high-pitched as she spoke the last few words. "Something you want to tell Mommy about last night?"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about?" Rory lifted the lid off of one of the boxes and selected a cookie.

"He sent me my own box of cookies," Lorelai stated. "Let me read you the note he sent me." She made a big production of clearing her throat. "Lorelai, thanks for the advice last night. You'll be happy to know, I knocked it out of the park." She looked up pointedly at Rory who promptly choked on her cookie. "Want to explain?"

"Not really," Rory sputtered as she wiped at her eyes. "We had a good time," she said lightly, avoiding Lorelai's eyes.

"Uh-huh. I bet." She shifted her gaze to the cookies that covered the table. "He knows his cookies, I'll give him that."

"Mmhmm." Rory popped another one into her mouth as she opened up the envelope addressed to her. She choked again as she read the note inside.

"_Here's to making next time count! For what it's worth, you're definitely as sweet as I remembered."_

"You okay there?" Lorelai patted her back until she stopped coughing.

"Fine," Rory gasped, stuffing the note into her pocket before Lorelai could ask to see it. She felt her cheeks flaming and turned to the kitchen sink to get some water and to avoid the look her mother was giving her. "Just swallowed the wrong way."

"Hate when that happens," Lorelai said with a smirk. She leaned back in her chair and watched her daughter. "You look happy," she said carefully.

"I am happy," she agreed. She turned back and faced her. "Does that surprise you?"

"No," Lorelai said honestly. "It doesn't at all." She sighed. "Stop looking at me like that, I'm trying here, Rory."

"I don't know what you want me to say," she admitted. "Yes, I'm happy, I love having Logan back around." She shrugged. "I do, I know you don't like it, but it's the truth."

"Do you love him?"

That question was following her all over today. "Mom."

"No, it's a perfectly valid question I think," Lorelai continued. "You said that you love having him back around, so I need to ask. Do you love him, or do you love all of the dinners, the games, and the gifts more?" She held up another cookie pointedly.

"I don't think I like your implications," Rory said, trying to keep her voice calm.

"And I don't think I like your answer." Lorelai paused. "Rory, what are you doing? You can't jerk this poor guy around if you have no intentions of giving him the answer he wants. It's not fair to you, and it's really not fair to him."

"I must have missed you switching to Team Logan."

"Yeah, I'm not thrilled to be there either," Lorelai retorted. "You still haven't said it, you know. You haven't said you loved him and not the effort he's putting into this."

Rory's head snapped up. She was still reeling from her admission to Lane earlier and she did not want a repeat with her mother, of all people. "Yes, I am enjoying the effort, as you call it, that Logan is putting into this. There's nothing wrong with that. He loves doing these things, he always has. In case you hadn't noticed, they're designed for me to enjoy them." Lorelai opened her mouth but Rory continued on. "However, that does not mean I am _using _Logan in any way, or that I don't get the meaning behind each and every single gesture he has brought forth. I know that he's doing everything that he can to get me back, of course I know that. He says he loves me still, and I do believe him. But maybe," She gave her mother a pointed look. "Just maybe I happen to love him back. Maybe I never stopped. But I'm not going to put it in the air in skywriting until I know it's an absolute fact, and believe me, he will be the first to know."

Lorelai sat in silence for a minute. "Then tell him," she said quietly. "Tell him now before it's too late, because take it from me, if you wait too much longer, he's going to turn around and walk away again."

"Which is what you're waiting for, isn't it?" Rory challenged.

"No," Lorelai shot back. "Rory, come on. We both know that I'm not Logan's biggest fan, but so what?" She smiled. "You, on the other hand, well, I'm always going to be your biggest fan. You can't get rid of me. And I want you to be happy, that's all I've ever wanted for you." She shrugged. "So, I don't get to pick who or what makes you happy, I guess I can be okay with that."

Rory looked at her doubtfully. "You can be?"

Lorelai nodded dutifully. "I can be." She held up a cookie and mock-toasted it against the one in Rory's hand. "What is it about the guys we love bribing us with sweets?"

Rory laughed. "They know us well," she agreed. Her phone rang and she looked down at the screen, "Speaking of." She grinned. "Excuse me." She grabbed another cookie and headed for the living room. "Hello?"

"Hey." His voice was warm and she found herself smiling. "Did the cookies arrive?"

"They did," she confirmed. "Very wise move, sending my mom her own box."

He laughed. "I knew if I didn't, you'd fight over the others. So... did you get the note?"

She giggled. Crap, she _giggled_. "I did, and almost choked to death as I read it, Logan! What if my mom had opened that envelope? What if Luke had seen it?"

"Another reason why Lorelai got her own box." Logan chuckled. "But I meant every line of that note." He lowered his voice. "Especially the part about sweetening you up still."

She tossed a look over her shoulder to make sure her mother wasn't within earshot. "And here I thought I was sweet enough," she flirted. "There were no complaints last night that I remember."

"Believe me Ace, there's nothing about last night I could complain about." He tried to stifle a yawn but Rory caught it anyway.

"Tired out?" she teased lightly.

"You have no idea. Dad had me on the phone at five-thirty this morning. I've been on the go ever since, and he's scheduled two more meetings for this afternoon," Logan admitted. "But don't worry about it. It's Friday night, I definitely have date plans for the two of us."

Rory frowned slightly. She instantly felt guilty for how much time of his she was consuming when he was dealing with work at the same time. "Logan, you're going to be exhausted. We don't have to--"

"We do," he said quickly. "I want to see you tonight, Rory. I've got it all planned."

Her brow knitted at his words and she thought back to the conversation she just had with Lorelai. "Are they plans that can be canceled? Or at least, postponed?"

"What? Why?" Logan's voice was sharp. "You don't want to go out?"

"Calm down," she said sweetly. "I'm not saying that. I'd very much like to see you tonight too."

"Don't scare a guy like that." He paused. "I guess the plans could be canceled, why?"

"I got tonight," she said simply. "Leave it to me."

"Oh you got tonight, do you?" he teased.

"Well I probably won't have any family members help me like someone else does," she said dryly. 'But I've planned my fair share of dates too, don't forget. Just don't expect anything as fancy as say, jet-setting off to Majorca for dinner."

"Damn it, those were _my _plans." Logan laughed with her. "Okay, so they weren't, but all right Ace. I leave tonight up to you."

"Great. When you're done with work, swing on out this way."

"You're not picking me up? What kind of date are you?"

"A cheap one, if I listen to anything you have to say."

"So true," he said admiringly. He yawned again.

"Are you sure?" she asked suddenly, again feeling guilty over his work. "If you need to work late, I get it. I really do."

"Rory, it's Friday night," he insisted, but he yawned again. "I'm spending it with my girl."

"Okay." She found herself smiling over his use of pronouns. She really was an easy mark for him. "Then I will see you when you get here. I hope the rest of the day is a bit easier for you."

"It will be now that I have something to look forward to."

"Wow, you're full of lines today. I like it."

"That's the point. I'll see you tonight."

"Bye." She set the phone down and grabbed a notepad and pen of the table and began scribbling away. She didn't have much time to pull this off, but it had to be perfect.

So Lorelai was concerned that she was only in this whole mess for the perks of being with Logan. Admittedly, she was enjoying the lengths he was going to, but she also knew there was so much more to it than that. She was however, worried that Lorelai had a point and that Logan would begin to wonder about her intentions. Crap. She paused in her writing and stared out the window. Did she really have intentions? She chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully and tapped the pen against the paper. Slowly, a smile teased at her lips as she fully realized just how far into this she was.

She wasn't going to worry about that just yet though, not that it was really something to worry about. She had other things to worry about, starting with the preparations for tonight.

"Mom?" she called into the kitchen. "You and Luke are going out tonight, right?"

* * *

It was nearly nine-thirty that evening before Rory heard Logan's car pull into the yard. A quick glance around showed Rory that everything was in place, and she was at the door and opening it before Logan could even knock.

She smiled sympathetically and raised a hand to the cheek of the figure leaning against the door frame. "You look like crap," she said softly. His clothes were a wrinkled mess, she could see dark circles under his eyes, and his usually perfectly styled hair was anything but. He looked exhausted.

"Huh. It's nice to see you too." He was still leaning against the door.

She smiled again. "Come on in," she said, reaching for his arm and peeling him from the door. "Guess your day didn't get much better after we talked, huh?"

"Not really," he admitted. He looked up at her quickly. "But I wanted to be here. I want to be here."

"I know." She slid his coat from his body, kneading her fingers into his shoulders as she did. He shuddered under her ministrations and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Are you seducing me in the hallway?"

She laughed. "No," she confessed. "Just trying to relax you."

"By all means, keep going." He stopped talking, enjoying the feel of her hands on him. "Are you sure you're not trying to seduce me?" He caught her hands and turned to face her. "It's so hard to tell sometimes."

She rolled her eyes. "You wish." Pulling him into the living room, she showed him all that she had set up, which really, wasn't that much at all.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "A movie night?"

"A Logan night," she corrected sweetly. She laughed at the look on his face. "You've been working so hard," she explained. "And while it's fun, staying out all hours of the night with me isn't exactly doing you any favors."

"So a night in with you will?" His hands settled on her hips and he pulled her closer. "Still sounds like seduction to me."

She allowed him to kiss her for a few seconds and then pulled her head back. "Nope, not seduction. Relaxation is the word of the night." She smiled again. "We have season one of The Office, the British version." He grinned appreciatively. "And as you can see, an assortment of your favorite junk food." She swept her arm out toward the coffee table full of carefully placed snacks. "And, while scotch doesn't go with Skittles and popcorn, _thank God, _there is a fridge full of your favorite imported beer." She dragged him into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to prove it. "See?"

Logan inspected the fridge and then turned to smile at her. "Well, you've thought of almost everything, haven't you?"

She scoffed. "Almost? There's no almost here, I have thought of everything. I remember our Logan nights very well, thank you very much." And she did. They hadn't happened very often, but especially once Logan had begun working more and more with his father, Rory had quickly learned the ways of getting his mind off of work when he needed rest.

"Oh really?" he challenged. "You're missing one very important thing. Logan nights are always done in pajamas"

She handed him a beer and jerked her head toward the stairway. "Go upstairs and shower. You'll find your precious casual wear up there."

"Go shower?" he repeated with a smirk. "Now I know you're trying to seduce me."

"Stop!" She laughed. "I told you, you look like crap. A shower is exactly what you need to pick you back up and get you ready for tonight." She tried to dodge him but he grabbed at her waist again.

"Will you be joining me in said shower? That would be a nice pick me up too." He backed her up against the corner and kissed her again. "I like this, you know."

"Like what?"

"This." He kissed the side of her neck. "Being able to kiss you and not worry you're going to freak out." He kissed her again. "You're not freaking out, are you?"

"I'm not freaking out," she said softly. She leaned forward and kissed him once more. "Now go. Shower. Come back down all relaxed and ready for tonight."

"You sure you won't join me?"

"Go!" She pushed him toward the stairs.

"I liked you better when you were seducing me," he called over his shoulder as he headed up the stairs. She just laughed and headed into her room to change into her own pajamas.

Twenty minutes later she was about to knock on the bathroom door when it swung open and Logan emerged, freshly showered with slightly damp hair. He grinned. "I _knew_ it! If I had just waited five more minutes you totally would have been in that shower with me."

She scoffed. "Hardly. I was just coming to see if you needed another beer." She smiled sweetly and held the bottle out to him. "And to see if you'd fallen asleep in there."

"Yeah sure." He backed her up against the wall and ducked his head to kiss her. "You just wanted to see me naked and wet in the shower. Can't blame you for that though."

Rory let her eyes close and enjoyed his assault on her lips. For a couple of seconds she did let herself picture him naked in the shower. Reluctantly she pressed her hands to his chest and pushed him away. "As fun as this is, we should really--"

"No," he interrupted her. "There's nothing more fun than this. Trust me."

She shrugged and grabbed the beer from his hand and took a drink. "If you say so, but I was going to say we could move this party down to the couch, but you're right." She gave him a bored look over her shoulder. "Standing in the hallway is so much better."

Logan watched her walk down the stairs, unabashedly enjoying the view. He always did love her in leggings and a tank top. Pushing himself from the wall he followed her back down into the living room and stole his beer back from her. "Get your own," he said mildly as he took a long draw from the bottle. Grabbing a handful of popcorn from one of the nearby bowls he arranged himself comfortably on the couch and beckoned for her to join him. "Okay, let's see what Tim and Gareth are up to." He felt himself relaxing considerably as Rory leaned into his side. She had been right, this was exactly what he had needed after the day he had. Halfway through the first episode he turned to her and kissed her temple. "Thanks," he said gruffly.

She smiled and reached up to feed him a few pieces of popcorn. "You're welcome." She rolled her eyes upward as he caught the tips of her fingers in mouth and bit down lightly. "One-track mind," she admonished lightly.

He nodded but released her fingers. "I hadn't realized how much I'd missed you," he said seriously. "These last few years, I didn't know it. I should have, but I never let myself think about it. So yeah." He gestured between them. "This is nice. I'm going to take advantage of it while I can." He leaned forward to claim her mouth again. "For as long as you let me." He took her little sigh as permission and leaned her back against the cushions, the television forgotten and the bowl of popcorn sliding from her lap and onto the floor. They both chuckled against each other at the crash but neither moved from the embrace.

Neither pulled away as the front door opened and closed either, and through her haze, Rory dimly heard her mother's voice from the hallway.

"There's a boy's car in the driveway and I'm betting you didn't think Mommy and Daddy would be home this early!" she yelled. Rory tried to untangle herself from Logan. "I'm counting to three really loudly and then we're coming in!"

Logan finally became aware of what was going on and he too, tried to separate himself from Rory. The overstuffed couch cushions and their current entanglement proved to make this more difficult than they anticipated, and he was just pulling himself off of her as Lorelai and Luke walked into the room.

"Seriously? I counted to three," Lorelai complained.

"Should have made it five," Rory quipped, running a hand through her hair. She heard Logan snicker behind her. "What are you guys doing home? I thought it was date night for you two."

"We tried," Lorelai said with a pointed look at her husband. "But someone here couldn't take Ethiopian night at Al's."

"It's not that I couldn't take it, I didn't want to," Luke huffed. "There's a difference."

Lorelai sighed. "And then, Kirk was running late to Black, White, and Read and no one else could run the freaking projector because he has a _bicycle lock_ on it and we couldn't figure out the combination." She shrugged "So, date night was effectively ruined until I thought, hey, pizza and a movie, classic combo," She eyed the scene before her. "Great minds think alike, huh?" She turned to Luke again and mocked wiping a tear from her eye. "Right down to the making out on the couch. Like mother, like daughter." She frowned at Logan. "You look like crap," she stated simply.

Logan snorted. "You girls sure know how to bruise an ego."

"I'm just saying. You look tired." She gave him a pointed stare. "Unless we're too late, and she's already worn you out for the night?"

"Lorelai!" Luke waved his hand at her. "I don't want to hear about that."

"Hear about what, Luke?" Lorelai asked innocently. "About your stepdaughter being defiled on your couch?"

"Hey!" Rory made a face at her mother. "I wasn't being defiled on the couch!"

"She really wasn't," Logan interjected. "However, if you had given us maybe three or four minutes."

"Not helping!" Rory hissed.

Now Lorelai grimaced. "I really don't need the image that's in my head right now, thanks."

"You asked for it," Luke pointed out. Logan couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I don't really need to remind the two of you about what I walked in on in here two weeks ago," Rory reminded her parents, enjoying the fact that they both squirmed at that.

"Okay, new topic!" Lorelai said, clapping her hands. She looked from the couple on the couch, to the television, back to Luke. "Okay, this is awkward," she admitted finally. "How do we do this? I guess we could go upstairs?" she suggested to Luke, knowing full well he was going to throw a fit at the idea of pizza in bed.

"What movie did you get?" Logan asked, casting a glance at Rory. "I mean, it's not like we haven't seen this show a dozen times already."

Rory lifted an eyebrow at what he was proposing. The last double date she had been on with her mom and Luke had been a disaster, and she wasn't looking forward to a repeat of that. "Or we can, um..."

"The new _Terminator_," Luke interjected. Lorelai and Rory both rolled their eyes.

"Really?" Rory asked her mother in disbelief. "You let him get that?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I thought we were eating Ethiopian, I was doing my part to make him happy." She glared at Luke. "Then he backed out on Al's."

"Smart man," Logan snickered. He turned to Rory again "No really, I'm up for some Terminator if you are." He glanced up at Lorelai and Luke. "What do you guys say?"

"Sounds like a plan," Lorelai said finally. Rory nodded her agreement. "Okay." She set the pizza down on the coffee table and then turned back to the two of them. "Off the couch you two," she said with a jerk of her thumb.

"What? Why?" Rory shook her head. "We were here first!"

"Yes I see that." Lorelai kicked at the overturned popcorn bowl. "I call the couch. I'm the mommy, I said so."

"I'm the mommy shouldn't work when I'm almost thirty," Rory grumbled as Logan helped her up from the couch.

"And yet it does," Lorelai smiled triumphantly.

Logan just grinned as he pulled Rory across the room to the loveseat. "Look at it this way," he placated as he sat down and wrapped her in his arms again. "Smaller couch, less room, more reason to cuddle."

Lorelai's eyebrow knitted as she listened to the two of them. "That's a really good point. Okay I change my mind," she pouted. "I want the loveseat."

"Take the couch, Lorelai," Luke said as he came back into the room with plates and drinks.

"Fine." She made a big production of plopping down on the couch but then turned back to Rory and Logan."No funny business over there, I've got my eye on the two of you." She pointed to her eyes and then back at them.

"Sorry about this," Rory whispered to Logan as the movie started. He just shook his head and pulled her closer to him.

"It's good," he whispered back. He grinned and looked over the top of her head back at Lorelai. "Hey Lorelai, maybe you can help me out with something here?"

"I better not hear something dirty coming out of your mouth next." Rory couldn't help but giggle at the embarrassed sound coming from Luke.

"What's Rory's favorite Christmas movie?"

Lorelai burst out laughing. "Seriously? That's an easy one, it's--"

"Miracle on 34th Street!" Rory interrupted quickly. She shot a pleading glance at her mother, who kept laughing.

"Right. Miracle on 34th Street," Lorelai parroted even as she shook her head emphatically in the negative.

"Come on!" Logan protested. "It's not like I'm going to break up with you over your choice in holiday films."

"You might," Lorelai said dryly. She shrugged at Rory. "I'm just saying, it's an awful movie, kid."

"What is it?" Logan pleaded.

"As far as you're concerned, it's Miracle on 34th Street," Rory said firmly. She nodded toward the television. "Shouldn't we be focusing our attention on this masterpiece of a film?"

Logan snuck another glance at Lorelai who just shrugged her shoulders and held up her hands, as if to say her hands were tied in the situation. "A hint?"

Lorelai scrunched her face up. "Sequel," was all she said before Rory threw a pillow at her.

"Sequel," he repeated. "Well that narrowed it down considerably. "I'll figure this out yet, Ace," he said confidently. He folded her into his arms again and the four of them turned their attention to the movie at last.

"Poor Marcus," Lorelai said several hours later.

"Poor Marcus," Rory agreed. "I think I like Christian Bale better as Batman though."

"Oh absolutely, Batman is way cooler," Lorelai agreed. She looked down and saw that Luke was asleep on her shoulder. Then she looked over and saw Logan was asleep with his head in Rory's lap. She smirked. "Guess neither of them were very fond of the movie," she said dryly.

Rory looked down at Logan and ran her hand over his head lightly. "He's had a rough week," she admitted quietly. "His dad's been running him all over the place. It's why we didn't go out tonight. I knew he'd be too tired."

Lorelai nodded. She stared at her daughter for a moment and sighed. "Hey kid," she whispered, so as not to wake either of their sleeping men.

"Hmm?"

"You look happy."

Rory tilted her head to the side and thought about the statement. "I am," she said finally.

Lorelai nodded too. "Good." With a stretch, she gently shook Luke awake. "Come on, Burger Boy, let's get you into bed." She had him standing and was walking him toward the staircase before he was fully awake. He mumbled something about leaving Rory and Logan alone in the living room and Lorelai just smirked and rolled her eyes at Rory. "Trust me, Babe, they're not doing anything but sleeping tonight. Come on, up we go." She looked at Rory once more over her shoulder. "Night Rory."

"Night mom." Rory waited until she heard the click of the bedroom door upstairs before turning her attention back to Logan. As much as she hated to wake him, her legs were beginning to ache and she needed to stretch them out. She ran her fingers over his back lightly. "Logan," she murmured quietly, trying to rouse him. "Logan, come on, let's go to bed."

"I knew it," he muttered, his voice still laced with sleep as he turned and looked up at her. "I knew you were trying to seduce me."

She smiled and bent down to kiss his forehead. "Yes, my whole plan was to wait until my mom was in the room directly above mine, to get you into my bed, and have my way with you. You know me so well." She was still whispering.

Logan shot up from her lap, his eyes wide awake now. "I have to go. What time is it? Shit, I have meetings all morning."

"On a Saturday?"

"Yes," he said grimly. He tried to stand up but Rory held him down, a frown on her face. "Rory, I've got to go."

"No," she said simply. She was still frowning. "It's late, and you're exhausted. I'm not letting you drive. You're coming to bed. You can leave for your meetings in the morning after you've had a good night's sleep."

"You really think I'm going to want to sleep if I'm in bed with you?" He gave her a look. "I'm tired, but I'm not dead."

"Sleep," she instructed. She got up and held out her hand. She sighed. "Logan, I'm not letting you drive home so you can either sleep right here on the couch or you can come to bed with me. I'm sorry but those are your only choices right now.

"I forgot how bossy you could be," Logan grumbled, at the same time taking her hand and leading her into the bedroom.

"You like me bossy." She busied herself with pulling the blankets back and making sure there were enough pillows, anything to keep herself from fixating on the fact that she had willingly just invited Logan into her bed.

"What's this?" Logan asked. She glanced behind her and cursed inwardly. Clearly, she hadn't thought this through or she would have Logan-proofed her room before letting him in.

"Oh that?" She shrugged as she pulled her hair up into a pony-tail and sat down on the bed. "It's just mistletoe."

"Just mistletoe?"

"Fine, from London," she said defensively. "I kept it, you know that."

Logan raised his eyebrow at her but said nothing as he inspected the dried leaves. "Do you think it still works?" He climbed next to her on the bed and held the mistletoe out to her.

"Still works?" She eyed him suspiciously but didn't move as he inched closer to her. She rolled her eyes as he held the sprig above their heads. She shook her head slowly. "No way. You're exhausted, remember? We're going to sleep." She didn't pull away as he leaned closer. "It's late," she whispered.

"Hey, I don't make the rules of mistletoe," he said with a shrug. "And you're the one who left it out."

"Fine." She leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, snagging the mistletoe from his hands and putting it back on the nightstand at the same time. "Now go to sleep!" she ordered lightly. She leaned over him purposefully and switched off the lamp.

"Tease," he growled, trapping her in his arms and rolling her underneath him. They were both laughing as he pressed her deeper into the mattress and kissed her. Several slow and languid kisses later, Logan rolled off of her again and pulled her into his chest. "Night Ace."

"Now who's the tease?" she muttered, but she was still smiling. Within minutes she heard Logan's breathing even out and not long after that, she found herself being lulled to sleep by the sound of his heartbeat.

* * *

The insistent ringing of a cell phone jolted Rory from her sleep. She reached blindly toward the table next to her bed, trying to find the offending object. "Hello?" she mumbled after she had finally located it and brought it to her ear. She glanced down at Logan and couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was still sound asleep, not having moved once at the interruption.

"Logan?"

She winced at the barking tone on the other end of the phone. "Not Logan," she said before she could stop herself. She looked at the phone and swore quietly. It hadn't been her phone ringing. She recognized the voice though. "Mitchum?"

"Yes Mitchum," he snapped. He paused. "Rory?"

"It's quarter to six, Mitchum," she pointed out.

"I'm aware of the time. However, I didn't expect you to answer my son's phone at this time." Rory winced. "Where's Logan?"

"Asleep."

"Wake him."

"No. It's quarter to six, on a Saturday," she pointed out again. "With all due respect, you've been working him to death."

"Clearly not, if he still has the time to be with you."

"He's exhausted!" Rory snapped, fighting to keep her voice a whisper. "He's trying to so hard, and taking everything you're throwing at him, and as far as I can tell, he's doing it all without a single complaint. Are you trying to break him? Are you purposely trying to make him hate working for you?"

Mitchum sighed. "I'm sure he's told you, we are in a hell of a crisis here. Like it or not, he is a part of it. He chose to work for me Rory, I didn't make him."

"Then cut him some slack," she pleaded gently. "At least let him have a couple hours of sleep this morning still."

MItchum contemplated her words. "Make sure he's at the office by nine," he said gruffly.

"Eleven," she countered.

"Ten."

"Deal."

Mitchum laughed in spite of himself. "Go back to sleep yourself, Rory. Ten o'clock. Don't make me regret this." He disconnected the phone call and only then did Rory realize what she had just done. Not only had she stood up to the great almighty Mitchum Huntzberger, but she had basically just begged Logan's daddy to give him time off. That wasn't going to go well. At all. She set the phone back down on the table and flopped back down on the mattress. Logan still didn't open his eyes, just muttered incoherently before turning on his side and wrapping one arm around her again. She let herself relax into him again and as sleep once again overcame her she decided to worry about the fallout of the phone call when the sun came up, and not one minute before.

It was just after eight when Logan finally stirred. He sprung up out of bed, disoriented at his surroundings. Finally, it registered that he was in Rory's bedroom. She wasn't in bed, and from the sounds coming from the other room, he assumed her to be in the kitchen. He glanced at the clock and swore. He was late. Picking up his cell phone, he was shocked to see there weren't any missed calls from his dad. Taking a resolute breath, he dialed the office and prepared himself for his father's tirade.

"Good morning, Son!" Mitchum's voice boomed over the phone. "I take it you slept well?"

Logan blinked. "I did," he said cautiously. "I just wanted to call and let you know I'd be in soon. I'm sorry, I didn't realize how late it was and--"

"I told your girlfriend to make sure you were in at ten." Mitchum paused. "You haven't talked to her yet?"

"My girlfrien--" Logan sighed. "You talked to Rory?"

"I did when I called at six this morning. She's quite good at putting me in my place, that girl. I have been working you hard, Logan, I know that. If you can't handle it though, how about you come talk to me instead of having her do your dirty work for you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She simply told me how exhausted you've been. Frankly, I'm pissed off that you couldn't come to me yourself with that information."

"Dad, I'm fine."

"Rory doesn't seem to think so."

"Rory should have kept her mouth shut!" Mitchum chuckled, irritating Logan even more. "What?"

"How does it feel Logan? To have someone interfere with your life when you don't want them to?" Mitchum laughed again. "Maybe you'll remember that the next time you try to interfere with hers?" He let his words hang in the air for a minute. "Don't mess this one up, Logan. Not again. Oh, and while I have you on the phone I may as well tell you we'll be spending the better part of the week in New York City. Be ready to leave tonight."

"Dad, New York?" he protested. "We were just there."

"And now we're going back." Mitchum laughed. "Logan, bring the girl along," he prodded. "Yeah, your ass is mine during the days, but I sure as hell don't care what you do on your nights. I'll see you at ten." He hung up the phone and left Logan staring at Rory's bedroom wall.

"Good morning!" Rory smiled brightly at him as he came out into the kitchen. She held out a coffee mug. "I was just about to come wake you up. How did you sleep?"

"What did you tell my dad?" he demanded, setting the coffee cup down.

Her shoulders deflated slightly, but she looked him dead in the eye. "The truth," she said simply. "I told him you were tired, and that letting you sleep in a couple of hours this morning wasn't that big of a deal in the scheme of things. He happened to agree."

"It wasn't your place, Rory."

Her eyes darkened but she held her ground. "No? Well, too damn bad. I meant what I told him, and I was right." She shrugged. "I'm the one who has to deal with the fact that now your dad thinks we're sleeping together!"

Logan laughed. "He already knew about that."

"What?"

He sighed. "Not that we're sleeping together, but that you're back around. You knew he knew. Hell, my whole family knows, Rory, it's not like Honor can keep a secret. But that's neither here nor there, my dad couldn't care less that you answered my phone for me." He took a drink from his coffee. "But you still shouldn't have done that."

"Well too bad," she said defiantly. She shrugged. "I got you a couple hours of sleep, the least you could do is thank me."

"By undermining me to my dad?"

"I'm sorry, is there a thank you, Rory anywhere in this tirade or not?"

"You want a thank you?" Logan laughed. "Would you have thanked me if you had known I went to my dad to get you a job?"

Lorelai was two steps into the kitchen at this declaration and immediately backed out without a word, deciding it would be wise to get her coffee from Luke's this particular morning.

"You what?"

"Relax, he's not going to do it."

"Well of course he's not going to do it!" Rory cried. "Your dad hates me, Logan, he thinks I suck as a writer, why on Earth would he get me a job? Why would you do that?"

"No!" Logan sighed and set his coffee down. He walked over to her and took the mug from her own hands, setting it on the counter. "He would have gotten you a job, any job you wanted, that's not the point. The point is, he made me see what a bad idea it was, me going to him without your consent. He knew you wouldn't take a job that way. He knew you'd be furious at me for going to him and not telling you anything about it."

She didn't meet his eyes. "And so what you're saying is that me asking your dad to let you have a couple of extra hours of sleep is the same as you running to him to get me a job?"

He shrugged. "In the grand scheme of things, yes."

She grabbed her coffee mug back and took a sip. "I forgot how cranky you can be in the morning," she commented. Finally, she met his eyes with her own. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," he said, settling a hand on her hip. "And thank you. For last night, and for this morning." He drew her closer. He pressed his forehead to hers. "I've got to go to New York again," he admitted. "Sounds like it'll be for most of the week."

"Oh."

He nodded against her. "If you can pack your bags quick enough, you can come with," he offered. "We leave tonight. Think about it, Ace, an impromptu mini-vacation in the City? We can hit all of our old favorite restaurants, do some shopping..."

Rory sighed and contemplated the offer. As tempting as a few days in New York with Logan sounded, she knew it would involve more gifts, fancy dinners, and probably a dress or two. And while she enjoyed all of those things very much, she couldn't get Lorelai's words from yesterday out of her head. "I can't," she said reluctantly, pulling away from Logan.

He frowned. "You can't? Sure you can. Why can't you?"

"I..." She didn't know how she could explain it to him. "I shouldn't," she said finally.

Logan stared at her for a second before finishing the rest of his coffee. "Okay," he said with a shrug. "Well, I need to get going if I'm going to be in Hartford on time this morning. I guess I'll call you when I'm in New York?"

She blinked back her surprise at how easily he was letting this go and quickly nodded. "Sounds good," she said, not entirely recognizing her own voice. She plastered a smile on her face and leaned forward to kiss him briefly. "Have a good day, and a good trip."

"I will, thanks." He leaned in again and kissed her once more. "Bye, Rory." He grabbed his things and was out the door, leaving Rory completely bewildered as to what had just happened.

Ten minutes later she had her answer, in the form of a text message.

"_A car will be there to pick you up at seven tonight if you change your mind. Please change your mind."_

She shook her head and poured another cup of coffee before grabbing a pen and a pad of paper from one of the cupboards. This wasn't a decision she was going to make lightly, oh no.

She needed the help of a good old fashioned pro-con list.


	8. Winter Wonderland

**Author's Note**: So... it's been a little over a month since the last update and I apologize for that! Wow... February has been an awful month for me – I had bronchitis for nearly 3 weeks, and by the time I would get home from work at the night, every time I sat down to write, I ended up falling asleep! So, writing had to go on the backburner while I recovered. I'm back now though, and hopefully, there's still some holiday spirit out there waiting to see how this ends.

Besides, this chapter should hopefully make up for my absence... please, let me know what you think!

... There are two very big hints in this chapter as to what Rory's' favorite Christmas movie is, like, really big ones. I practically give i t away.

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter Seven - Winter Wonderland  
**_

_Later on we'll conspire  
as we dream by the fire_  
_to face unafraid the plans that we've made_  
_walking in a winter wonderland - Doris Day_

_December 20th, 2009_

"Hello?" Rory's voice was knowing as she answered her phone.

"So. Funny thing." Logan frowned at the paperwork in front of him. "I just got off the phone with Carl. You know my driver Carl, right?"

"Ah Carl. Yes, we've met. He's no Frank."

"Frank retired. So as I was saying. I just got off the phone with Carl, and do you know what he told me?"

"To start driving yourself places?"

"Funny girl. No, he told me that he just pulled out of your driveway. Without you in the car."

"Well, you'll be pleased to know that Carl is an honest man."

Logan sighed. "So you're not coming? You're really not on your way to New York right now?" When Rory hadn't shown up at the airport the night before, Logan had been disappointed to say the least, but he had understood. He didn't like it, but he had understood. Still, that didn't stop him from sending his driver back for her the next night with the same invitation.

"I'm really not," she said truthfully. "Logan, I--"

"Why?" He asked suddenly. "Is this still about yesterday morning? I'll admit, I overreacted. I shouldn't have snapped like I did, but that's no reason you shouldn't spend a couple of days in the city with me. You love the city, Ace!"

"I do love New York," she admitted. "But Logan, I just couldn't--"

"I don't get it," he interrupted again. "Things are going so well right now. Aren't they?"

She found herself smiling at the almost desperate tone of his voice. "Things are going very well," she agreed. "I just can't make it to New York right now, Logan. I'm sorry." Her voice was contrite as she spoke.

"Fine." The desperation was gone, replaced by a hint of anger and a lot of frustration. "I should be back before Christmas, but I have to go right now, Dad needs me. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye Logan." Behind her, she heard her mother clucking her tongue at her. She turned and smiled. "What?"

"That was cold," Lorelai said. "You're really going to leave him pissed off like that?"

"Oh he's not pissed," Rory said with a wave of her hand. She snapped shut her last suitcase. "Besides, how can I surprise him if he's expecting me to show up?"

"Why the surprise?" Lorelai questioned. "I mean, he asked you to go, he sent a car here and everything. Why not just show up?"

Rory shrugged. "Where's the fun in that? Logan's done nothing but surprise me day after day for the last week and a half. And through most of our relationship. I can turn the tables on him once in awhile if I want to, can't I?"

It had taken her all of fifteen minutes to decide that she would go to New York, but after reading through her pro-con list one final time, she had come up with the idea of surprising Logan for once. Yes, it meant initially she was going to have to disappoint him, but she was positive once he saw her in New York, he would forget about that and be happy that she was there.

Honor had given up the exact details of where her father and brother were staying with no hesitation at all. She had gleefully given Rory whatever information she needed, insisting only that they meet for brunch while Rory was in the city. Honor had also offered to send the Huntzberger jet to pick her up, which Rory had gratefully accepted, on the condition that she pay for their brunch as a thank-you.

Lorelai shook her head. "It's a twisted little game, the two of you are playing," she commented. She snorted at the look Rory gave her. "Well it is! Why don't the two of you just admit that you're still in love with each other? It would save you both a lot of trouble, wouldn't it? Not to mention frequent flier miles."

Rory raised an eyebrow at her mother. "Well you said that very casually," she remarked. "No projectile vomiting at the idea of Logan and I anymore?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Eh, what can I say? I know when to accept defeat. And if that boy can successfully survive a double date with your mom and stepdad and then _not _have sex with you with me forty feet away, I figure he's in it for the long run." She hesitated. "I heard the whole thing this morning about him trying to get you a job."

"Yeah, that's a fight he and I aren't going to have anytime soon," Rory said decisively. "I'm letting that one go for now. I still can't believe he went to Mitchum like that without asking."

"He really must be serious about this then," Lorelai pointed out. "In case you hadn't realized that yet." She paused. "Had you realized that yet?" Rory didn't answer her. "_Rory." _

"Okay yes!" Rory said defensively. "Yes, I realize it."

"Well good." Lorelai studied her carefully. "You're playing this awfully close to the heart, Kid. Where's your head at right now?"

Rory took a deep breath and turned to face her mother again. "My head is trying to keep me sane right now," she said honestly. "I'm not going to let myself get hurt again."

"You really think that's a possibility?"

"I didn't think it was a possibility the last time," Rory pointed out. "Or when he slept with the bridesmaids."

"But you forgave that," Lorelai said honestly. "And it looks like you're forgiving the whole walking away thing too."

"And the next time, whatever that is? Am I supposed to just forgive that too?"

"Well, yeah." Lorelai nodded. "If you love him, you do. You forgive. But Hon, as much as it kills me to say this, I don't think you have to worry about that again. I really don't."

"Maybe," Rory conceded. She shrugged, unsure of what else to say. "I know I can't stay in this Logan I or won't I state of mind, Mom. I know he's not going to wait forever. That's why I'm going to New York. To figure this out once and for all."

"Well it's about time," Lorelai said dryly. She leaned forward on her elbows. "So which way are you leaning right now?" She backed off at the look Rory gave her. "Right okay, no more questions." She shook her head sympathetically. "Man, I am so glad not to be you right now."

"Right." Rory rolled her eyes. "On that note, I'm leaving."

"Do you know when you'll be back?"

Rory shook her head. "I'm not sure. Definitely before Christmas Eve though. I promise." She leaned forward and kissed Lorelai's cheek. "I'll call as soon as I land."

"You better." Lorelai followed her out to the front porch. "Oh and Rory? Don't get married while you're there!" She laughed at the scowl Rory sent her way. "I'm serious! Nothing's tackier than eloping in New York City over Christmas. How very Lifetime Movie of the Week that is!"

"I'm not getting married," Rory promised. She got into her car and waved as she backed out of the driveway.

"You better not," Lorelai warned as she waved back. "Please Kid, don't get married tonight."

* * *

The Plaza. Rory smiled to herself as she waited for the driver Honor had insisted on sending to pick her up at the airport to unload her suitcases from the trunk of the car. Of course Logan would be staying here. She looked around, taking in the sights and sounds before the chill got the better of her and she hurried into the hotel.

Thanks to Honor's persuasiveness, a key to Logan's room was already waiting for her at the front desk. She wasn't sure how Honor had arranged it, but she was sure she didn't want to find out. As she was quickly learning, what Honor wanted, Honor got; one way or another. Luckily for her, Honor was very firmly planted on the right side of the situation. Also thanks to Honor, she knew that Logan was currently deeply involved in a business dinner that would be ending in about 30 minutes, and he would have about an hour of downtime before having to head back out to meet the associates from London for after-dinner drinks.

She had a thirty minute window, in which to make herself presentable again after the flight, and to surprise Logan. She let herself into the room discretely, sweeping her eyes around quickly just to ensure that Logan indeed wasn't in there. She tipped the bellhop and thanked him for bringing her bags up and shut the door soundly behind him. Rory grabbed a few things from her suitcase and made a beeline for the shower. She didn't have much time at all.

Twenty-five minutes later she was applying a coat of gloss to her lips when her phone rang. She smiled. Honor was good. "Hello?"

"Hey Ace."

"Logan, hey. How's work?" She shook out her hair and sat down in the armchair facing the door. "Things going well?"

"They're going. It could be a lot worse, but it's still a far way from good." He sighed. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have gotten mad."

"Don't worry about it," she said softly. "I get it. So. Where are you at right now?"

"Just getting back to my hotel. I've got to get ready for drinks with a few of the guys and their wives. Can you hear the enthusiasm in my voice?" She heard the beep of his keycard in the door.

"Well, I'll just have to give you something else to smile about."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" He opened the door and stopped in his tracks.

"Me," she said, smiling brightly and snapping her phone shut. She laughed with delight at the stunned expression on his face. "I totally get why you surprised me from London all those times now! The look on your face is totally worth it!"

"What are you doing here?" He asked as she crossed the room to greet him.

"Surprising you," she said simply. She laughed again and tilted her head to the side. "Unless you're not so happy to see me? If that's the case, then I can definitely pack up my thin--" Her sentence was interrupted as he pulled her toward him and kissed her hard on the lips. She relaxed into his embrace and kissed him back happily. "Sorry about making you think I wasn't coming," she mumbled against his lips.

"Consider it forgotten," he replied, pushing her back toward the bed. They both laughed when the backs of her knees collided with the mattress and she pulled him onto the bed with her. "How did you know where I'd be?" he asked, brushing her hair from her face. "And how did you get in?"

"How do you think? Honor, of course." She ran her hand over his cheek and peered at him with concern. "You look even more tired than you did when you left yesterday. Is Mitchum trying to kill you?"

"If it makes you feel any better, he looks about ten times worse." Logan rolled onto his back and she curled into his side. "There's a merger that was supposed to take place the first of the year," he explained. "And I'm still not sure what happened, but all of a sudden, they want out of the contract. The contract that they're supposed to sign on Tuesday. We've been negotiating for the last few days, and we're so close, Ace, so close. They're still holding out on us though." He shook his head. "I"m almost confident we'll get them tomorrow though."

"Of course you Logan. Who could be so possibly stupid that they'd turn down any offer a Huntzberger gave them?" Rory asked.

Logan laughed. "Now you're sounding like a Huntzberger wife." They both froze at his words, but he shook his head and leaned forward and kissed her again. "I can blow off drinks tonight," he said as he trailed kisses down her neck. "We can go get dessert if you want. Go dancing, do whatever you want."

"No we can't," she said pushing him away slightly. "You cant just blow off drinks. Mitchum would kill you. And me. There's no need for all of that killing. You have to go to drinks," she said again, stopping him before he kissed her again. "Logan."

He sighed. "Fine. I have to go to drinks." He pushed her hands away and kissed her defiantly. "Will you come with me?"

"What?" She pushed herself up on her elbows and looked down at him. "No." She shook her head. "It's a business thing, I don't want to get in the way. I'll be waiting here when you get bac-"

"You'll be saving me if you go," he interrupted her. "Believe me, all these guys are going to have their wives with them, and while you and I both know I can charm their arm candy, I'll definitely do better with the guys with a little candy of my own." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh is that all I am? Candy?" She tried to look offended. "What if I hadn't shown up?" she teased. "Would you have just picked up some hooker in the lounge?" She laughed as he flipped her over onto her back and pinned her arms down.

"I'll have you know, I don't find the hookers, they find me." He caught her lower lip between his teeth and pulled lightly. "What's it going to be, Ace? Either you come with me, or I skip the whole thing." He kissed her again; one hand releasing her arm to skim up her side.

Rory allowed him to kiss her for a few moments more before pushing him up and off of her. "If we're going out, I have to get dressed."

"By that theory, if we stay in, you have to get undressed?" Logan laughed as she hit him with a pillow. "I'm just following your lead, Ace, no need for violence."

"I'll be ready in fifteen minutes," she promised, pushing him away again and heading for the bathroom to change.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Logan retorted as his phone rang. He sighed, seeing his father's name flash across the screen. "Yes Dad?" he asked, bringing the phone to his ear. Through the bathroom door, Rory made a face at the mention of Mitchum. "Yes, I'm on my way down to meet you. Oh, Rory's here after all, so she'll be joining us." Rory emerged from the bathroom and motioned for Logan to help her zip up her dress. "That's exactly what I told her," Logan replied, smoothing the dress over her back. _Arm candy_ he mouthed at her with a wink before she smacked his arm. "Okay Dad, we'll see you soon." He snapped the phone shut and spun Rory around to hold her out at arm's length and look her over."

"See something you like?" she asked coyly, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Very much so. I'm thinking that you in that dress is either a really brilliant business tactic, or a very stupid mistake on my part. If anyone hits on you, you better let me know so I can kick their ass immediately."

"Deal," Rory promised as they left the hotel room. They were mostly silent as they rode the elevator down to the Oak Bar. She smirked and nudged Logan in the arm. "So, the Plaza, huh?"

He turned slightly to look at her. "You don't like the Plaza?"

"Oh I do," she assured him. "Just an interesting choice given a recent conversation." She smiled again as the elevator doors opened.

"What does that mean?" He placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her into the bar.

"Figure it out," she murmured into his ear as Mitchum strode up to them. She forced a smile onto her face as the two men greeted each other before Mitchum turned to her.

"Rory, good to see you again," Mitchum said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Tell me, does Logan look well-rested enough for you?" His mouth twitched into something of a smile and Logan just rolled his eyes.

Rory smiled, a real one this time. "Even I know better than to answer that one." She flicked her eyes around the room. "Okay, so who are we beating into submission tonight?"

"Those five guys over there," Logan said with a nod of his head. He leaned close to her ear. "And by the looks of it, I have the sexiest girl of the bunch. Lucky me." This time it was Rory who rolled her eyes.

For the next hour and a half, Rory watched as Mitchum and Logan worked the room. She was enraptured as she listened to them, she found their business talk fascinating. Even moreso, she found herself watching Logan and appreciating just how far he had come since their days at Yale. Watching him converse with the investors, she saw just how much he enjoyed what he was doing.

Conversely, Mitchum and Logan were both watching Rory. She was holding her own among them all; charming the men and engaging their wives into conversation as well. She moved effortlessly from one conversation to the next, always a smile on her face, always subtly reinforcing Logan's groundwork.

"She's good," Mitchum noted mildly as he appeared next to Logan. They both watched as Rory chatted with one of the wives, laughing over a shared joke. Logan merely nodded, though he had been thinking the exact thing. Mitchum looked at him sideways. "Your mother would have a fit," he chuckled. "Rory appears to make a perfect Huntzberger wife already." Logan choked on his drink and Mitchum just laughed harder. "I'm just giving you a hard time, Son, relax." He patted him on the back and laughed again as Rory joined them. "Rory, you must be exhausted from your trip and we both know Logan could use some rest as well." His eyes twinkled as he spoke. "I can handle it from here, you two can go ahead and go." They didn't need to be told twice as he dismissed them with a wave.

"He likes you," Logan said confidentially as he and Rory strolled through the streets of New York.

"Who does?"

"My dad." Logan laughed at the look Rory gave him. "No he really does. He thinks you're good for me. He always liked you, I think, but he had to do what he does, which is put you through hoops." He laughed again. "It's true," he insisted. "He even referred to you as a perfect Huntzberger wife."

"Hmm," Rory said noncommittally. She felt Logan's fingers thread through hers and she squeezed back lightly. "So," she drawled out, desperate to change the subject. "Did you have a plan for where we're going or are we just walking?" she asked.

"Just walking," Logan said with a shrug. He looked down at her with a slight smirk. "Did I make you uncomfortable?"

She shrugged. "A little," she admitted. "Before I left Stars Hollow, my mom told me not to run off and get married. Then I get here, and both you and your dad, less than three hours apart both call me a Huntzberger wife." She sighed. "It just sounds so Stepford, and it's exactly what I didn't want two years ago. I still don't want that." She closed her eyes, wondering if she had said too much.

There was a slight pause. Finally, Logan stopped them both in their tracks and turned her to look at her. "Do you think that's the kind of wife I want? Someone who acts like my mother does? You should know me better than that. I hope you know me better than that. I never wanted you to be that woman," he said firmly. "Secondly, I told you last week, I'm not proposing to you. Not anytime in the immediate future," he promised.

"Okay," she said quietly. They walked silently for a few steps. "Does it bother you that I don't want to be married right now?" she asked suddenly.

"A little," Logan admitted, mimicking her earlier tone. "But not really. It's more that I know I just have to wait. And I know better than to spring any surprises rings on you. I can wait," he added as an afterthought. He sighed. "So, think that's enough married talk for the night?"

She laughed. "More than enough. Got something else in mind? Maybe a trip to Mr. Duncan's Toy Chest?"

"Toy Chest?" Logan raised an eyebrow at her. "Interesting, most girls on vacation in New York would want to go to, I don't know... a jewelry store, or a museum, or Rockefeller Center. You want to go to a toy store?"

Rory laughed again and squeezed his hand once more. "Okay, so Rockefeller Center might be nice too," she conceded. "But don't think I'm putting any skates on," she warned

"Oh don't be so sure about that, Ace." She had put the idea into his mind, they were definitely going skating. She protested the entire way there, but quickly gave in upon arrival to the rink when she saw how serious he was. They skated around the crowded rink for half an hour or so before Rory's legs began to give out and Logan took pity on her and after a round of hot chocolate, they made their way back to the hotel.

It had been a long day for both of them, for Logan especially, and once they had arrived back to their room, he was barely able to keep his eyes open. A far cry from the Logan Rory had been used to, the one who stayed out until four in the morning and would still make it to an eight am class. Tonight, they had fallen into bed before midnight, and with only a kiss good-night, Logan had fallen asleep, leaving Rory to lay there in the dark, watching him and contemplating the past couple of days again.

Truthfully, if she let herself think about it, being a Huntzberger wife wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. _Not anytime soon_, she reminded herself sternly, trying to hang onto the fact that she was in no way ready to even think about marriage yet.

There was one thing she couldn't deny any longer though, that fact was glaringly obvious as she stared down at the man sleeping soundly next to her.

Rory was completely, hopelessly, absolutely still in love with Logan.

* * *

_December 21st, 2009_

Monday had passed in a whirlwind of activity. Mitchum and Logan had spent the morning and afternoon wrapping up their meetings and successfully getting the necessary documents signed. Rory had kept herself busy as well; having brunch with Honor turned into shopping with Honor. Before either Logan or Rory knew it, it was early evening and they were both back in their hotel room getting ready for a night out on the town before heading back to Connecticut for the holidays.

"No really, say it again," Rory called from the bathroom where she was curling her hair.

"Ace."

"Say it again," she repeated. "I'm not sure I quite believe you."

"We're going out tonight just the two of us," Logan said contritely. "No business meetings, no Mitchum, I won't even take my cell phone if you don't want me to."

"No cell phone!" she mock-gasped. "Can you handle it?" She gave herself one last glance in the mirror before stepping back into the main area. She rolled her eyes at the look he was giving her. "Seriously Logan, stop!" she protested. "Every time I walk into a room wearing a dress, your eyes don't have to fall out of your head. I know you think I'm pretty, you don't have to keep telling me so."

"Actually, I was going to say that dress makes you look fat," Logan remarked. He saw a flicker of outrage in her eyes and stuck his tongue out as she swatted at him with her purse. "Kidding geez! Why must you always resort to violence right off the bat? Use your mouth, Gilmore, not your fists."

She smirked. "Maybe later."

"Such a dirty mind, Ace." He caught her wrist and pulled her to him. "Even if I don't need to say it, you look beautiful." He couldn't help it, he loved the way she looked in a dress; especially red ones that clung to every curve perfectly. His eyes roamed lower, appreciating the curve of her legs, and quirked as he caught sight of her heels. "Those are new," he commented.

She looked down and nodded. "Your sister talked me into them today. A little higher than I prefer, but I like the ankle strap." She extended one foot and showed him the thin rhinestone strap.

"Very nice," he agreed. "Okay, I'm ready, are you ready?" She nodded her head in the affirmative. "Okay, let's go see what the City has to offer us for tonight."

"You didn't make plans?"

"I don't always make plans," he said with a roll of his eyes,

"No, you just get your sister or your dad to make them for you." She made a face at him as he helped her with her coat and they were out the door.

"You like my dates all the same, regardless of who plans them," Logan answered. The elevator doors slid shut and he advanced on her, pulling her into his arms and unabashedly kissing her.

"Couldn't do that while we were still in the room?" she mumbled against his lips as he pushed her into the wall.

"Wouldn't have left the room at all if I had," he muttered back, his hand sliding from her waist to cup a breast. She moaned quietly into him. "Can always go back," he offered. He thought he had her, and was disappointed when she pushed him away and shook her head. He took small satisfaction in her flushed cheeks and glassy eyes.

"Nice try, Huntzberger," she said breathlessly. Not a moment too soon the doors opened again and they stepped out.

"So I was thinking," he said as they left the hotel. "It's not too chilly tonight, we'll take advantage and walk. I'm thinking definitely dinner, maybe dancing."

"I don't dance," she protested.

"Oh, you dance," he said, his hand falling to the small of her back as they rounded the corner. "You dance very well."

"So, dinner," she said, ignoring his previous comment. "Any place in particular?" He shrugged and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Wow, luck at you, all man without a plan."

"Told you." He smiled. "We'll find a place. And when we do, I'll simply use the last name to get us in. It'll be fun. Like old times."

They made it four blocks before Rory's heel slid on a patch of ice, turning her ankle and causing her to lose her footing. Logan caught her before she fell and set her down on a nearby park bench. She protested that she was fine, that her foot wasn't broken or anything serious, but the whimpers that punctuated her words concerned him and he forced her to sit, demanding that she let him take a look.

"Here, let me see." Logan knelt in front of her and gingerly took her foot in his hand, rotating it slowly. She winced, her fingernails digging into his shoulder painfully as he continued to manipulate her foot. "Does that hurt?"

"Yes," she gritted out. He moved her foot once more before his hands slid up her calf to her knee. She opened her eyes and glared at him. "Really? Copping a feel right now?"

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "It's not broken and it's not sprained. I think you just twisted it really good. Can you walk on it?" He faltered under the look she gave him. "Right, of course not. Okay, I'm going to call Carl and have him bring the car around and we'll head back to the hotel."

"But dinner," Rory protested. "Dancing."

"You don't dance," he reminded her with a smirk. "We're going back to the room." She stayed quiet as he put the call into his car service and then looked at him sadly.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"For what?" Logan wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. "Look at it from my point of view. Now I'll be the only one to be able to appreciate you in that dress tonight. And you know I'm a big fan of not sharing you with others."

She laughed, leaning her head against him. Her ankle was throbbing, but it was manageable. "You're going to spoil me with all of these compliments and fancy dates and jewelry, you know."

"That, Rory, is precisely the idea." He nodded toward the curb. "Here's our car. Careful." He helped her to her feet and slowly limped her into the town car. Soon enough, they were back to the Plaza and on their way up to the room.

They ate dinner on the center of the bed while watching _A Christmas Story _and polished off dessert while _National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation _played in the background. Both were attempts by Logan at guessing her favorite Christmas movie, but she just laughed and reminded him that while both were classics, neither was a sequel, so once again, he was wrong.

The aspirin she had taken as soon as they had gotten back had dulled the pain in her ankle considerably, and they had danced around the idea of heading back out on the town, but Rory was quite content to be wrapped up in Logan's arm, watching _White Christmas _and sharing stories with each other about Christmases from when they were little. Without meaning to, Rory found herself dozing lightly against Logan's shoulder as he talked over the cartoon, regaling her with a tale of a drunken Finn dressed as Santa Claus the past year.

Realizing she had fallen asleep on him, Logan just chuckled slightly and alternated between watching the end of the Christmas special and watching her sleep. Things had been going exceptionally well between the two of them the last few days. Yes, they had their scraps and their disagreements, but it wasn't anything neither of them could handle, and it certainly wasn't anything that was sending either of them running for the hills.

His attention was solely on the sleeping creature tangled up with him against the pillows. He found himself thinking about their last time together, that night after leaving the pub. He shifted slightly, remembering his promise that there were no more do-overs, that the next time was definitely going to mean something to the two of them. His fingers ran lightly down her bare arm as he wondered how long he was going to have to wait before she was ready for him to prove that sentiment to her.

Rory opened her eyes slowly, blinking the sleep from them. She shifted slightly as she became aware of her surroundings and found herself eye to eye with Logan. She smiled sleepily, knowing she had caught him watching her while she slept. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey." She leaned forward to kiss him. It startled her, how much she needed Logan right now. The ache she felt deep inside was new to her, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it, but she wasn't about to analyze it now, not when she couldn't stand for his lips to be away from hers for more than a few seconds at a time. "Make it count," she whispered, her words mirroring exactly what he was wanting to say to her.

For a moment they stared at each other in the darkness. "This counts," he reaffirmed finally, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes. She caught his hand and entwined their fingers before drawing them up to her lips, kissing them softly. Before either realized it, they were kissing again; not only their hands interlocked, but the entire lengths of their bodies wrapped around each other. Their legs tangled together as Logan expertly rolled her underneath him.

The unzipping of her dress was the only sound in the room as Logan wasted little time in getting her undressed. His hands followed the path of the fabric; sliding first over her shoulders to skim across her stomach, then past her hips, all the way down the stretch of her legs. From the foot of the bed her looked back up at her, admiring the way her hair splayed over the pillows. He leaned forward again to inhale her scent; a mix he learned, of vanilla lotion and orange blossom shampoo. That scent coupled with the way she was looking at him through half-lidded eyes nearly drove him over the edge as he bent to trail kisses from the arch of her foot up the span of her long pale leg.

"Logan," she murmured, running her hand through his hair. As skilled as he was, and as much as she enjoyed the things he was doing to her, Rory was growing far too impatient for foreplay. She squirmed beneath him, trying to draw him back up to her but he stayed where he was. The rest of his clothing joined hers on the floor as he continued running his hands and lips over her body. She gasped as his tongue flicked over the hollow of her hipbone. He moved his way back up her body with painstaking care, making sure every inch of her skin was touched. Her hands were just as busy, roaming over his back, scratching lightly the way she knew he liked. She moaned as his mouth finally crashed down against hers again and kissed him back eagerly. One hand snaked down his ribs to grasp him fully. He buried his head into the crook of her neck and thrust into her hand. She stroked him a few times before trying to reposition herself so that he would slide right into her but he wouldn't let her. "Logan!" she protested again when he moved just out of reach.

Bracing his arms on either side of her, Logan concentrated on kissing her for a few moments, and she responded readily, sweeping her tongue over his, trying to delve as deeply into him as she could. He grinned into her mouth as she writhed beneath him. She didn't notice the hand that had slipped between their bodies until his fingers glided effortlessly into her. Her eyes snapped open and she shuddered against him, her head coming up off the bed. While she whimpered when he withdrew his hand, she nearly cried in relief when she finally felt him pressing hard against her. Her head fell back into the pillows and she closed her eyes again as he drew her left leg up to steeple next to him. Finally, he slowly pushed into her.

Rory's eyes flew open as he filled her, connecting with his in the moonlight. Her breathing hitched as he began to move steadily. Though they had made love countless times before and twice recently, this feeling was completely new to her. The intensity radiating from their bodies was indescribable; she had never experienced this before. Looking up into his eyes, she was convinced Logan felt it too. She opened her mouth to speak but he covered it with his own. He was still moving tortuously slow and she angled her hips, trying to drive him deeper inside of her.

He refused to oblige her, intent on making this moment last as long as he could. His eyes pierced through hers as she whispered pleadingly. Only when he was sure she was absolutely ready did he finally increase the speed of his thrusts. She moaned at the intense friction and swept her fingertips over his eyelids, wanting his eyes open like hers. She was so close.

"God, Rory." He was fast losing control and he knew she could sense it. Her lips curved into a sensual smile as she matched him thrust for thrust. She caught her lip between her teeth as she began to contract around him. She wasn't sure she'd be able to wait for him.

She didn't have to. Hearing her gasps echoing against his moans, coupled with the feeling of her tightening around him like a vice was more than Logan could take. He rocked into her her once more. His whole body shuddered against hers one last time, his blood pounding so hard in his ears that he barely heard her own cries as she came with him. He collapsed onto her still trembling body before rolling them both over, reversing their positions.

Rory had no idea how much time passed before she was finally able to find her voice. "You felt that too, right?" she asked. She rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I mean, that was different than before. That was..." her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the right words.

"It was," Logan confirmed, running his hand through her hair. She smiled languidly up at him before sighing contentedly and laying her head back down. Logan pulled her tighter and closed his own eyes. He knew what Rory was trying to say, even if she couldn't find the words. It was exactly how he had felt after Thanksgiving, only then she hadn't let herself feel the same. As he drifted off to sleep all he could think was that _finally_ Rory had opened herself up to him; to the possibility of them; to the future they could finally have together.

Which is why the next morning he simply could not understand why he had woken up to an otherwise empty bed.


	9. All Alone on Christmas

**Chapter Eight - All Alone on Christmas**

_The music plays all night in Little Italy  
The lights will be going up on old Rockefeller's tree  
People window shopping on Fifth Avenue  
And all I want for Christmas is you ~ Darlene Love_

_December 22, 2009_

She was gone. He dropped back down on the bed and held his head in his hands. How? When? He searched his brain, trying to come up with a why. Last night had gone inexplicably well, in his opinion. The last few days had been amazing, she had given no indication that she was planning on running. He glanced down at the side of the bed she had slept on and felt his anger rise.

Once again, Rory had made a fool of him. She had done a damn good job of it too.

The swipe of a key card and the sound of the door opening snapped Logan's head up and he stared open-mouthed at the door. "Rory?" he said incredulously.

"Hey!" She smiled brightly at him and bumped the door shut with her hip. In one hand she held a drink tray full of coffee and in the other a bag. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"You're here," he said dumbly.

She gave him a puzzled look. "I am," she agreed. She held up the bag in her hands. "I have coffee and bagels," she said cheerfully. Placing a quick kiss on his cheek, she waltzed past him and set her things down on the table. "I figured you'd be starving after last night," she teased. "And well, you know breakfast and I are very close friends. "How'd you sleep?" She whirled around finally and caught sight of his face. "What's wrong?"

"You went to get breakfast." He knew he sounded like an idiot, but he couldn't quite get his brain to catch up with what was happening.

She nodded. "I did. Is that a problem? Are you suddenly anti-breakfast and I didn't know about it?" she teased. "If so, then I'm afraid that's a problem we're going to need to talk about."

"Why didn't you wake me before you went out?"

She laughed. "I did! At least, I tried. You were dead to the world, Logan, and rightfully so. You didn't bother to even open your eyes, just mumbled something incoherent and rolled back over and hid your head under the pillow."

He shook his head. "You could have left a note," he insisted.

She walked over to the dresser and held up a sheet of paper he hadn't noticed before. "Like this one?" she questioned. "Logan, what's wrong?" Something flickered in her eyes and she laughed shortly. "Oh. I get it. You thought I bailed, didn't you?"

"Do you blame me?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

She raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing for a long time. "No," she answered finally. "I suppose I don't." She shook her head and turned away from him. "Damn it, Logan."

"Look, I'm sorry, I woke up and you weren't in bed next to me and yeah, my first thought was that you had left. I overreacted."

She still didn't face him. "I don't get it. Have you just been waiting all this time for me to screw this up? Did you think I was waiting for the first moment to run?" She laughed again and finally turned to look at him. "What did I do wrong? What have I done in the last couple of days to make you think I didn't want to be here? To be with you?"

"I told you, I overreacted."

She nodded. "You did. Big time." She sat down and looked over at him again. "This is why this isn't going to work, Logan. You don't trust me."

"I don't trust you?" Again, Logan was incredulous. "Look, I said I made a mistake this morning, but honestly Rory, it's not that unlikely that you would have taken off without so much as a word. The entire time I've been back, you've been one second away from calling the whole thing off and I'm so damn sick of it. I'm tired of walking on eggshells around you."

Her eyes snapped angrily. "Then don't," she said simply. "If you've got something to say, then say it."

"_You_ don't trust me," Logan said simply. He stared at her. "You haven't, since the beginning, and you've been waiting for me to make one mistake so you could walk away without feeling guilty or being to blame." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her defiantly. "How's that for not walking on eggshells?"

"Oh very mature," she shot back. Part of her still couldn't believe this was happening. She had woken up this morning so happy and so sure of her decision; it hadn't occurred to her that they were still so very fragile that her leaving to get coffee would cause such an outburst.

"It's true though, isn't it?" he asked. "You've been counting the minutes until I screwed up so you could put the blame on me when this didn't work out."

This time she was the one unable to stop the words before they came out. "Well you and I both know how great you are at fucking things up between us, Logan."

They were both silent for a moment, but by now, Logan's eyes were blazing. "That's great Rory, if you want to think that you're entirely blameless in the demise of our relationship, have at it. God knows you've never done a damn thing wrong in your life. You're fucking perfect."

"Oh I've made mistakes," she snapped. "I've made plenty. But I'm not the only one." She stood up, intent on pacing the room for lack of anything else to do, but a sharp shooting pain reminded her of her still sore ankle and she collapsed back on the bed.

Logan was at her side in an instant. "Your foot," he remembered. "How is it? Is it still swollen?" In that second their argument was forgotten.

"It's fine," she said quietly. His hand brushed against hers and she pulled away reluctantly. "Your coffee's getting cold," she said tiredly, finally raising her eyes to meet his.

He reached over and grabbed the two cups from the tray. He handed one of them to her and they tucked into the bagels. "So what now?" he asked finally, a few minutes later.

She shrugged. "Clearly, the issues we've been fighting bringing up don't plan on going away anytime soon," she said with a sigh. "We've done a good job of pretending they didn't exist until now."

"So what first?" Logan cleared away the remains of their breakfast and brought Rory another cup of coffee. "If we're going to talk this through, we may as well get it out of the way."

"Trust," she said simply. "You don't trust me."

"You don't trust me," he replied automatically, defensively. And just like that their reprieve was over and the fight was back on.

"So we have trust issues," she snapped. "Clearly, we're both waiting for -- no, anticipating -- that they other one is going to bolt before we see this through. That's great, Logan. That has winning relationship written all over it."

"I've done nothing wrong this time around," Logan protested. "I have made my intentions perfectly clear and have told you time and time again that I wasn't pushing you into anything, that I wasn't running away, and that I was here because I love you." The last three words escaped his mouth reluctantly, out there for both of them to hear before he could stop them.

"You said you loved me," she admitted finally, not able to bring her eyes back to his. "At Thanksgiving, in that hotel in Connecticut, you told me you loved me. And we both ignored it at the time, and not once have you said anything about it. Neither of us has said anything about it."

He closed his eyes, remembering that moment. "Neither of us wanted to talk about it, Rory. Believe me, I was stone sober by that point of the night and I saw your eyes when I said it. You froze and if I hadn't been holding you down, you would have been out of there before I could even stop you."

"So what? You figured it would be best to ignore that you said it? To pretend that it never happened?"

"You haven't exactly brought it up either. Or really given me reason to think you felt the same."

She looked at him then, finally, her eyes piercing his. "You really think that?" she asked softly. "You think that I don't love you? That I'm just here to waste your time and mine?"

"I think you're scared," he said, faltering under her gaze. "I think that you're afraid to let me into your life again. That you don't want to put yourself in the position of being hurt again."

"You haven't answered my question."

"What do you want me to say?" he asked finally. "Do I think you've been wasting both of our time? Maybe," he admitted. "You run hot and cold. One minute I think you're here with me, and we're finally back on track, and then in a blink of an eye, you freeze up. You won't let me in."

"Look what happened last time!" she said defensively. "Damn it, Logan, you walked away from me! There was no warning, no inkling that anything was even wrong, hell, there _wasn't _anything wrong! We were perfect, but I wasn't ready to get married, and you simply turned around and walked away from me. It was that simple for you."

"Simple? You think it was simple?" He shook his head. "It has been anything but simple. Something I'd have thought you'd have caught on to after these last couple of weeks. Walking away from you was the hardest thing I ever did, and clearly, I've come to regret it."

"What's stopping you from doing it again?" She asked him quietly. "I'm still not ready to marry you, so what's going to stop you from walking away again?"

"Damn it Rory, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not proposing?"

"Yet," she said softly. "But I know you, Logan. I know you're an all or nothing kind of guy. You always have been."

"I'm not," he said firmly. "Not anymore. I know you're not ready to get married, hell, I'm probably not either. I just want to be with you." He reached over and brushed his knuckles over the side of her face. "I want to be with you," he said again, softly.

"I want that too," she whispered, closing her eyes.

"Then trust me."

"I do trust you." Her voice was barely audible.

Logan shook his head. "You don't," he said. "Rory, I love you. And I know more about you than you think I do. I know _you._ And you may think you trust me, I know you _want _to trust me, but Ace, you can't even tell me the name of your favorite Christmas movie." She opened her mouth to protest but shut it miserably. "See?" He dropped his hand from her face and walked a few paces away. Methodically, he began to get dressed. They were both silent as she watched him step into his shoes.

"You're leaving?" she asked incredulously. They were in the middle of a fight, he wouldn't just leave, would he?

"I need some air," he admitted. "I need to think about a few things. We both do."

"Logan..."

He shook his head and slid his coat over his arms. "I'll be back," he promised. His shoulders sagged slightly as he stood in the door frame, his back to her. "Will you still be here when I get back?"

She swallowed. "Do you want me to be?" He nodded, barely, and she felt all of the air escape from her lungs. "I"ll be here," she said softly.

"Okay." He shut the door behind him and Rory stood there staring at it, not fully believing he was just walking away from their fight. For a few seconds, she waited for the door to open back up and for him to come back into the room and take her in his arms and promise they would fix things.

After five minutes the door still hadn't opened. Resignedly, Rory curled up on the bed and picked up the television remote. Lying on her side with Logan's pillow clutched against her chest, she couldn't help but laugh as she clicked onto the fifth channel, and a familiar scene popped up on the screen.

_"The man I loved fell out of love with me. That broke my heart. When the chance to be loved came along again, I ran away from it. I stopped trusting people."_

_"No offense, but that seems like sort of a dumb thing to do."_

_"I was afraid of getting my heart broken again. Sometimes you can trust a person, and then, when things are down, they forget about you."_

"Maybe they're just too busy. Maybe they don't forget about you, but they forget to remember you. People don't mean to forget. My grandfather says if my head wasn't screwed on, I'd leave it on the school bus."

"I'm just afraid if I do trust someone, I'll get my heart broken."

Rory snapped the television off and threw the remote halfway across the room. It wasn't fair for the movie to mock her, but she figured she had it coming. She got up from the bed and slid her shoes back on. She had to get out of the room, at least for a little while. The coffee shop in the hotel would have to do, seeing as how she wouldn't get very far on her foot.

It was in that coffee shop an hour later where Mitchum found her sitting at a table and staring miserably out the window at the people passing by. "Rory?" He questioned, stopping at the table. "I didn't expect to find you in here."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Most people would say the first place they'd find me was any place that served coffee."

He chuckled. "I just meant that I didn't expect to see you without my son attached to your side." He noticed the shadow of a frown that crossed her face and sighed. "What did Logan do this time?" he asked.

She blinked. "You know what? This time, I can honestly say that Logan did nothing wrong. No, this one? It's all me. I screwed up."

Mitchum looked surprised. "I see. Mind if I sit down?" Now Rory was the one to look surprised but she merely nodded and gestured for him to sit. "Thank you. So, you and Logan had a fight, eh?"

"Something like that." Rory took a long drink from her coffee. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask me anything you want."

"Say I had said yes to Logan's proposal two years ago," she began. "Do you think we would have been happy?"

Mitchum thought for a moment, waiting until the waitress had poured his coffee and moved on to the next table. "No," he said finally. "Rory, had you accepted Logan's proposal, I guarantee the two of you would not have made it to your wedding day."

"Wow. Okay." She was stunned by his honesty.

He held up a hand. "Now wait a minute, hear me through. I'm sorry, but the truth is, the two of you would not have been able to handle the stress of an engagement. Not then. You," he chuckled. "You would have had Shira breathing down your neck at every turn, taking over your wedding, and generally just making you miserable." She cracked a small smile at that. "I would have done my fair share of damage too," he admitted. "You'll remember at that time Logan and I were having our own difficulties. He had just failed at that investment deal and run off to San Francisco without so much as a warning. I wasn't particularly proud of my son at that time. Had I found out that the two of you were going to be married, I would have used every guilt trip within my power to get Logan back into my world. I would have used you and your closeness to your family to draw him back. I would have played you both, mercilessly, until I had gotten what I wanted. I wouldn't have stopped until he was out of California." Mitchum sighed. "No Rory, the two of you would not have made it to the wedding day. I am sure of that."

"You're kind of an ass." Her eyes flew wide open. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean--"

"No, you're right," he agreed. "I was an ass. I might still be, but not so much toward my son anymore."

"How did he come back into your world?" Rory asked curiously.

Mitchum shook his head. "That's a story for him to tell you," he said with another small smile. "But it wasn't exactly an easy road back. I can tell you this though, Logan is right where he was always meant to be. I don't care how he got there, or what happened along the way, he's where he belongs."

She nodded. "Good." She hesitated. "Can I ask another question?"

"Of course."

She bit down on her lower lip. "Hypothetically speaking," she began carefully. "It's two years later, do the same rules apply to marrying into the Huntzberger legacy?"

"Legacy?" Mitchum repeated.

She nodded. "From the first time I met your family, I have been well aware of what the..." her voice trailed off. "Protocol," she finally decided delicately, "of being married to the Huntzberger heir would be." She took another drink of her coffee. "Has that changed?"

Mitchum leaned back in his chair, a surprised look on his face again. "I guess I didn't realize that offer was back on the table."

"It's not," she said quickly. "Hypothetically speaking," she reminded him.

"Of course." Mitchum thought quietly for a few moments. "I don't want to waste your time with some bullshit about me being a changed man, a softer version of the man you remember, that's not the case at all. I'm still an ass, Rory, but some of my priorities have changed. My view of Logan has changed, for instance." He drummed his fingers against the tabletop lightly. "I would say that the protocols are simple. Support each other. Don't get me wrong, I still have high expectations for anyone marrying into my family, but between you and me?" He leaned closer. "The last thing I want for my son is for him to have a marriage like mine."

She laughed. "I'm no Shira."

"No, you're not," he agreed. "Now, can I tell you something? Hypothetically speaking, of course."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Two years ago, you and Logan wouldn't have made it. Two years ago, you both lacked the maturity and the worldliness to be able to make a life together work. You did the right thing by turning him down then." He shrugged. "Now, you've both lived a little. You've both grown a lot. Hypothetically speaking Rory, together, you and my son could turn this world upside down if given the chance. Together, you could stand anything thrown your way and come out on the other end unscathed." He pushed his chair back from the table and dropped a few bills on the table before standing up.

"I don't know what's going on between you and Logan at this moment, but I'm sure it's fixable." He gave her a pointed stare. "Fix it, Rory." He walked away, leaving her dumbfounded alone at the table.

She stared at his retreating back until he disappeared and then stared at the door. Had that really just happened? Had Mitchum Huntzberger all but instructed her to marry his son? It was too surreal to think about it. With a shake of her head, she pushed her own chair back from the table and made her way back up to the hotel room.

In the elevator on her way up, Rory began to get nervous. She wanted Logan, she knew that much. She had finally begun to admit it to herself the previous night but now, staring at her reflection in the door, she knew there was no more denying any of it. She was finally, _finally_ ready to be who Logan wanted her to be.

She just had to tell him.

Logan was already back, sitting at the desk and flipping through the newspaper. "Hey," she said softly, closing the door behind her.

"Hey." He put the newspaper down. "Got your note," he said, holding up the hastily scrawled note she had left before going for coffee.

"Good." She stepped out of her shoes and sank down on the bed, facing him. "How was your walk?"

He shrugged. "I did a lot of thinking."

"About?" God, this was awkward.

He gave her a look, one that clearly told her he had been thinking about her, a fact she had already known. "You," he said quietly. "Us."

She nodded. "And what conclusion did you come to?" Her heart felt like it would pound out of her chest as she waited for his answer.

"I love you," he said simply. Her heart slowed considerably. "And these past couple of days have been nothing short of incredible. Last night.." he shook his head. "Last night was amazing."

"It was," she agreed, a faint blush staining her cheeks. "Logan..."

"I love you," he said again. He stood up and walked over to her. He lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her. He meant for it to be a quick kiss, but she surprised him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down onto the bed with her. He couldn't stop kissing her. It was the same as last night; once again something had shifted between the two of them and all either of them could think about was being with the other; fight be damned. Before Logan realized what was going on, he found himself flat on his back with Rory straddling his legs. He opened his mouth to finish what he was trying to tell her but she was quicker, leaning forward and pressing her mouth against his. Her hands slid under his sweater, pushing the material up over his stomach.

Logan was quick to move into a sitting position, ridding himself of the sweater before moving his hands under her skirt to grab her thighs, pulling her harder down against him. She moaned into his mouth, her head falling to his shoulder as he moved his hands now under her own sweater, unclasping her bra and tossing it and her shirt aside.

Sex couldn't fix things. It wouldn't fix _them_. Still, Logan's hands disappeared under her skirt once more, pushing silk aside before two fingers slid into her effortlessly. She gasped at the contact and angled her hips downward, grinding hard against him in the process. It was his turn to groan into her kiss as her hands made quick work of undoing his belt, opening the snap of his pants. She gripped him through his boxers, running the pad of her thumb over his tip once, almost causing him to come undone right there. His own fingers increased their pace and it wasn't long before she was pulling his hardened length through the flap of his boxers and shifting above him so she could sink down onto him.

Rory clung to Logan desperately as she settled her knees on either side of him, falling into a steady rise and fall above him. Skin melded against skin as she kissed him frantically, her hands roaming anywhere they could reach, needing to touch him anywhere, everywhere.

Logan's fingers dug into her hips, trying to slow their pace but Rory was relentless, desperately trying to find her release. One look into her eyes and he knew, she was trying to fix them the same way he knew he couldn't. Leaning forward, her kissed her hard on her mouth and then with his hands still on her hips, pushed her gently back so that she was resting her weight on her hands. Her head fell back as he gripped her waist again, pulling her straight down onto him. From this angle he was finally able to take charge, to thrust up into her the way they both needed him to. In a matter of minutes, he brought them both to their release; each calling out the other's name before he collapsed back against the bed, bringing her with him.

Neither spoke, each afraid of what the other would say. Rory closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against his chest, feeling the rapid heartbeat beneath his skin. If they could just stay like this, they would be okay. They could be okay.

Logan sighed and ran his fingers through her hair, working out the tangles he had just put there. As much as he wanted nothing more than to lay there with her, to make love to her the rest of the day, he knew that he couldn't. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She tensed against him, and he knew she was waiting for him to speak first.

"I love you," he said again, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Gently, he moved her aside and rolled off the bed, straightening his clothing before handing hers to her.

"But?" she prodded softly. She already knew where this was going.

"I'm done," he said quietly. Her eyes snapped up and she looked at him, her mouth falling open in surprise. She had known it was coming but she didn't expect the surge of anger that shot through her as she heard the words.

"What?"

"I'm done," he repeated. "Rory, I love you, but this?" He gestured between the two of them. "It can't be one-sided. Not anymore. I'm done begging you to give us another shot. I can't do it anymore. I love you, Rory, but I can't do this anymore."

"Logan..." She blinked back the tears. "Stop, I need to tell you--"

"Tell me what?" He waited expectantly.

"I..." Rory faltered, unable to get the words past her lips. _No, this is not happening!_ she thought frantically as her fear seized at her once again. "I..." She shook her head in frustration. "Don't leave," she pleaded.

"You're not ready." He smiled at her sadly. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded her head vehemently. "Anything." Anything to get him to stay.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked. "_Who _are you waiting for?"

"I don't understand."

"Who are you waiting for? Who is it that you think is going to put up with all of the crap you bring to the table in a relationship? Who's going to put up with your family? Your mom?" Logan shook his head. Who's this man you seem to be waiting for that's going to be able to handle your freak-outs and your sarcasm? Who's going to listen to your rants? Rory, who do you think is going to put up with _you_? Who are you waiting to spend your life with?" She didn't answer him. She couldn't answer him. He sighed and picked up his coat.

"Come find me when you're ready, Ace." He stared at her for a few moments, waiting to see if she would move. She didn't and he nodded at her. "Bye." The door clicked soundly behind him.

Every inch of her body was screaming at her to run after to him, to not let him walk away another time, but she couldn't. It seemed the only thing she could do was stand there and stare. What the hell had just happened? Had they broken up? Had they actually been back together so that this could count as a break up? Why wasn't she running after him?

She tried to go after him. She made it as far as the elevator doors, but she let them open and close without getting in. What could she say to him? He was right, she _was _scared. God help her, she was terrified out of her mind and she had no idea why. This was _Logan _she was talking about. The last person on Earth who would ever try and hurt her.

And she just let him walk out the door.

She didn't cry. Trance-like, she packed her things and left the hotel in record time. Without realizing it, she bought a bus ticket home and before she knew it, she was back in Stars Hollow with no clear knowledge of what had exactly transpired in the last couple of hours other than that she had been with Logan and now she wasn't. The house was empty as she let herself in, a fact she was thankful for as she put her things away in her bedroom. She made it into the bathroom with every intention of taking a long hot shower. Turning the tap on and adjusting the water temperature, she turned to the mirror to pull her hair up. As the steam began to swirl around her, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and that was when she fell apart.

Some time passed before Lorelai returned home, puzzled by the sound of water running in an otherwise empty house. She spied Rory's purse on the table and knocked on the bathroom door. "Rory?" she called. There was no answer and after another knock she pushed the door opened to an all too familiar scene. "Oh, Rory." She fell to her knees next to her, reaching over to turn the running water off all the while pushing the hair from her daughter's tear-stained face. "What happened, kid?" she asked softly.

Rory shook her head wordlessly before burying her face in her mother's lap. "I need your help, Mom," she managed to get out in between sobs.

"Anything hon, what do you need?"

"I need to get him back."

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, you hate me, I'm sure. I totally get it, that was one hell of a depressing chapter, but it needed to be done. Watch any cheesy Lifetime or Hallmark Christmas movie-of-the-week and you know there has to be a horribly sad and awful moment before all the delightful happiness and Christmas miracles begin. Consider this chapter that moment. So that only means one thing is left to do... and three chapters to get it done in!


	10. All I Want for Christmas is You

**Author's Note: **So I haven't forgotten this story! It's just when you're working 70 hour work weeks for 3 months, you kind of don't have time for things like writing. Good thing that's over with! However, this chapter mostly pays homage to my other current obsession, and this weekend seemed the appropriate time to post. Also, my apologies if you haven't seen _A Very Brady Christmas._ It truly is one of those Christmas movies I have to watch every single year, and it never fails to be completely cheesy and mind-numbingly awful at the same time.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Nine - All I Want for Christmas is You**

_Take back the holly and mistletoe  
Silver bells on string  
If I wrote a letter to Santa Claus  
I would ask for just one thing  
I don't need sleigh rides in the snow  
Don't want a Christmas that's blue  
Take back the tinsel, stockings, and bows  
'Cause all I want for Christmas is you ~Vince Vance and the Valiants_

* * *

The heavy apartment door swung open and Honor leaned against the frame, staring at her brother expectantly. "Well, what did you do now?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

Logan shook his head and pushed past her. "Why hello Honor, it's great to see you too, Me? I'm just dandy, thanks for asking!"

Honor rolled her eyes as she shut the door. "Oh I'm so sorry little brother. Please, by all means, come on in and sulk on my couch. I clearly had nothing better to do today than listen to you whine." She backed down slightly once she caught sight of the the look on his face. "Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, you look like crap."

"Why are all the women in my life telling me that? It's not good for the ego."

"I wasn't aware your ego needed boosting."

"After this week, it might." Logan collapsed on the couch and looked over at his sister again. "So. I left her."

"You left her," Honor repeated dumbly. Her eyes widened as she realized the meaning of his words. "Oh _Logan._" She perched herself on the couch next to him for a moment before jumping back up. "We need drinks," she said decisively. "I feel like I'm going to need a drink to hear this story." She moved toward the bar, fixing them each a drink and then bringing them back to the couch. "Okay wait." She handed one glass to Logan and then made a production of getting herself settled against the cushions. Taking a long drink from her glass, she nodded contentedly. "Okay, let's hear it."

"What's to hear? I already told you, I left her." Logan shrugged. "I walked out of the hotel this afternoon. Told her if she wanted us to be together, she was going to have to learn to trust me."

Honor blinked. "Sure. And what better way to prove you're trustworthy than to turn and walk away from her. Again." She shook her head. "Damn it, Logan. What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Believe me, I know exactly what I'm doing," Logan said seriously. "She's going to come find me. She's going to say she's sorry for not trusting me, and she's going to admit that she wants to be in this relationship just as much as I do. She just needed a little bit of a push."

"A push?" Honor grabbed a pillow from the couch and hit him in the shoulder with it. "A push? My God, Logan. I thought you weren't going to play any games with this girl!" She hit him again. "This is quite possibly the stupidest thing you have ever done relationship-wise. You really think freaking reverse psychology is going to work here?"

He nodded. "I do, actually." He grabbed the pillow from Honor's hands before she hit him a third time. "Stop with the hitting, thank you. Look, maybe it's a little extreme, I will give you that, but Honor, trust me, this is going to work."

"You're an idiot," Honor said with a sigh. She took another drink and looked back up at him. "Do you love her, Logan?"

"Yes." His answer was automatic, decisive. He didn't need to think about it.

"Then why all of this? Logan, if you keep pushing Rory away one day she's not going to come back. And no stunt in the world will bring her back." Honor frowned. "This is all very confusing to me," she said. "I spent some time with Rory yesterday, and with the way she was talking, I thought things were going really well with the two of you. _Really _well," she emphasized, reflecting back on the lingerie she had witnessed the other girl buying during their shopping trip.

Logan sat up straighter. "That's right, you were with her. What did she say?"

Honor laughed. "Oh, it's precious you think I'd tell you that. She thought the same thing. Sorry, no. These lips are sealed on those secrets. But I can tell you that yes, I was under the impression things were moving along in the right direction."

"They were," Logan admitted. "You're right, things were going great."

"So what happened?"

Knowing she wouldn't stop until he gave in, Logan found himself relaying the whole story to Honor. He told her everything, from Rory's twisted ankle turning their night out to a night spent inside, to the disastrous morning after and everything in between. With a sigh, he took another drink before setting his glass down and faced the judgmental look of his sister.

"Why are you looking at me like this is all my fault?"

"Oh it's not just your fault, you're both idiots!" Honor threw her hands up in frustration. "You were right there! You both were finally in the same place at the same time and then _you_ go and fuck it up by jumping to asinine conclusions and _she _makes things even worse by being absolutely ridiculous and stubborn." She grabbed another pillow and hit him again. "What the hell is wrong with the two of you?" she asked, hitting him another time for good measure.

"What do you want me to say, Honor?" he asked, irritated. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Oh really?" She shot back. "So what? Sleeping with her minutes before leaving her was the right thing to do?"

He hung his head, having the decency to look ashamed. "I didn't mean for that to happen, it was kind of an accident."

"An accident?" Honor rolled her eyes, "Did she accidentally fall onto your dick?"

Logan winced, never wanting to hear those words come from his sister ever again, even if they were partially true. "Kind of," he admitted with a smirk. "But you're right, that was an asshole move on my part."

"As long as you know that." Honor sighed and looked at him for a long time. "So now what?" she asked finally.

He shrugged. "Now nothing. I wait. You'll see, she'll come find me."

Honor raised an eyebrow at this. "If you say so." She refilled both of their glasses and sat back down. "So what? Did Dad let you off for the day? It's not Christmas yet, I thought for sure you'd still be at the office."

"I thought so too, but Mom called." Honor nodded in understanding, rolling her eyes. "Apparently, there was a last minute invitation to a dinner at the Campbells' and she wouldn't attend alone." Logan laughed. "Dad told me to go ahead and take off as well, no need to report back to work until after the holidays." Honor raised an eyebrow at this. "Believe me, I know," Logan said with a laugh. "I wasn't going to question it though."

"Go after her, Logan."

He shook his head. "I can't do that, Honor. I've chased her for almost two weeks now."

"That was your own doing!"

"Well maybe I was wrong. I shouldn't have to chase after her."

"You do if you're the one to push her away."

"She'll come after me," Logan said again. "You'll see." He looked away from the look she was giving him. "So did I interrupt any big plans for the night?"

"Nah, Josh is gone until tomorrow so I figured I'd make dinner and then watch a movie. Don't give me that look, I can cook well and you know it! Magda taught me summer mom couldn't keep a nanny, remember?"

"I remember." Logan shook his head. "What happened to my big sister who was always at the front of every VIP line in the city?"

"She grew up and got married. You'll see, wait until it happens to you and Rory. If it happens now."

He ignored her. "So, what movie are we watching?" He grimaced as she held up the pink and white DVD cover. "Really? Again?"

"Hey, you're the one that interrupted my night in, you don't get to be picky." Honor laughed and picked up the remote to press play. "You know, this might be good for you. You kind of remind me of Big."

"Of who?"

"Wait and see, Little Brother, wait and see."

* * *

"Hey, feeling better?" Lorelai asked as Rory emerged from her bedroom. After finding her daughter in the bathroom earlier that afternoon, she had gotten her up off the floor, into the shower, and then suggested a nap before they talked about why Rory was back from New York in such a state. Rory had been too worn out to do anything but agree, and now nearly four hours later, here they were.

Rory shrugged. "Is there coffee?" Lorelai handed her a mug wordlessly, which she accepted gratefully and plopped down at the table. "Thanks."

"No problem. So, I figured we'd do dinner at the diner because you probably don't feel like cooking and I don't cook and there aren't any other options."

"I don't want to go to the diner," Rory said as she dropped her head to the table. "Too many people, too many questions. I don't want to have to talk about Logan."

"You mean you don't want to talk about him to other people, right? Because you and I? We are totally talking about him," Lorelai said as she dropped a pop tart on the table next to her daughter's head.

"Mom..."

"Don't mom me. I come home today to find you a sobbing mess in the bathroom and that's a scene I never wanted to see again after the last time, you know that. Rory, what happened?"

"I really don't want to talk about it righ-"

"Rory." Lorelai gave her a pointed stare. "You kept saying something about needing to get him back. That you needed my help to get him back? You can understand why I'm confused."

"I'm confused too," she said wearily. "Things were going really well, Mom. At least, I thought they were. Up until this morning, everything was great."

"What happened this morning?" Lorelai flinched. "And what happened last night to make everything great? Do I really want to know?"

Rory lifted her head from the table. "From the minute I surprised him in the hotel, we were off to a good start. I went to business dinners with him, Mitchum was pleasant toward the both of us, we were having a great time. And then yesterday we were supposed to go out to dinner, but on the way I jacked my ankle up because of my shoes and-"

"You hurt your ankle? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just sore." Rory waved off the injury and continued on with her story. Once she got into it, she didn't stop, barely pausing to breathe as she detailed the past evening and the events of the morning. Lorelai listened intently, trying to keep her opinions in check the whole time.

"And then he just left. And I watched him leave. And I came home." Rory's head fell back to the table. "Why did I let him leave?"

"Back up," Lorelai said, holding a hand in the air. "Mitchum told you to go for it with Logan? Mitchum Huntzberger?"

"I know! It was so bizarre."

"Well, do you?" Lorelai asked suddenly.

"Do I what?"

"Trust Logan. Do you?"

"Mom."

"Because if you don't, then really, what's the point? If you don't trust him, then there's no reason to get back together with him. And honestly, Rory, I don't know what to make of the whole do and ditch stunt he pulled."

"That wasn't entirely his fault," Rory admitted, blushing.

Lorelai shook her head. "Regardless, if you don't trust him, there's no point. So do you?"

"I want to."

"Rory." Lorelai sighed. "Cut the passive aggressive crap. Do you trust him enough to make this work?"

"I want this to work," Rory said emphatically. "I do, Mom, and I know you don't want to hear this, but I want Logan."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay then. What should we do about it?"

Rory shrugged her shoulders pathetically. "I was hoping you could tell me," she admitted.

Lorelai sighed. "I'm going to need a drink to get through this one. Come on, we're going to KC's."

"What about the diner? I haven't eaten since this morning."

"We're not going to the diner. The last thing Luke wants to hear about is how you slept with Logan last night. And this morning."

"And last week," Rory murmured before she could stop herself. She smiled guiltily at Lorelai. "Sorry."

"Oh yes, Long Islands for me," Lorelai muttered as she grabbed her purse. "Let's go." Rory didn't protest much as she figured a drink wouldn't be such a bad thing, and anyone who was there would be too busy drowning their own sorrows to be worrying about hers.

"So." Lorelai looked at Rory expectantly. It wasn't much later and they had just ordered a first round of drinks as well as half of the appetizers on the menu. "I think we both know the easy solution here. You call him."

Rory blinked. "Okay, but if I call him, then he gets all of the power in this relationship, won't he?" she argued. "He will then realize that he can pull stupid stunts like issuing ultimatums and walking away, knowing I will bend over and do whatever he wants me to do!"

"So, you don't want to call him back?" Lorelai questioned.

"No, I do."

"Right." Lorelai gave her a confused look. "Are you sure this is your first drink of the day?" she asked with a nod to the drink sitting in front of her.

Rory took a long drink from the glass and refused to make eye contact with her mother. "Is it supposed to be this hard?" she asked. "Relationships in general, are they supposed to be this hard, even when they're the right ones?"

"Generally, no," Lorelai admitted. "But let's be honest here, you and Logan are the ones making this harder for each other than it needs to be. You're both really into this whole game playing thing and Rory, I gotta tell you, that's not going to work. For either of you. First of all, you're not kids anymore. Like it or not, you're adults and this right here is a real live grown-up relationship. The sooner the two of you realize that, the better off both of you will be. And then, only then, when you both are on the same page in that circumstance, does this relationship have a snowball's chance in hell of surviving."

"I should call him," Rory said quietly.

"You should," Lorelai agreed. "And now preferably, and not when you've had seven drinks. You don't need a plan, Rory. You don't need a way to get him back, you simply just need to pick up the phone and call him."

"You're right." Rory looked down at the phone lying next to her glass. "Tomorrow," she said abruptly and Lorelai resisted the urge to slam her head into the table.

"Tomorrow," she repeated. "Why tomorrow?"

"Because there's just a couple of things more I need to figure out," Rory said firmly. "I will call him tomorrow. Tonight, we will drink."

"If you say so," Lorelai said, knowing this was a very bad idea. She raised her glass in Rory's direction and saluted her. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Rory smiled half-halfheartedly and took another drink herself. She hoped so too.

_

* * *

__December 23, 2009_

"I'm still not seeing the problem, Honor," Logan argued as he reached over to the table and grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl. "Big clearly ended up being the good guy in this, why do you keep calling me an ass?"

"Big?" Finn cut in. "Oh come on, Logan, Aiden clearly should have been the winner of Carrie's Prada-covered heart."

"Right," Colin scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "What about the Russian?"

"Of course _you'd _like the Russian," Finn sneered.

Honor smirked as she watched the three men discuss the great loves of Carrie Bradshaw and wished she had thought to record them. What had started out with her making Logan watch the movie yesterday had turned into a lengthy discussion on just how exactly, Logan had become toxic to Rory just as Big had to Carrie. That discussion had led to the need to watch a couple of specific episodes and somehow, Colin and Finn had joined in on the fun.

"My point is simple, Logan," Honor cut in as the argument grew heated. "Big put Carrie through a lot of crap before he figured it out and did things the right way; much like how you're putting Rory through an awful lot of crap yourself. And have for years."

Logan glared at her. "So this is all my fault? Really, Honor?"

"Not all, but let's face it, you've broken the girl's heart a few times." Honor shrugged. "But she seems to be willing to let that all go so more power to her. I just wish the two of you would quit being such babies this time around."

"Who's side are you on, Honor?"

"Yours, of course," she assured him quickly. "Always yours, someone has to look out for you. And I know happy you've been these past couple of weeks. I know you want things to work out with her. You just need to learn ultimatums are never the way to go."

"So what was I supposed to do?" Logan shot back. He glanced quickly at Colin and Finn who were still arguing between themselves. They stopped mid-debate to shrug their shoulders and resumed without batting an eye. Sighing, he turned back to Honor.

Honor shrugged. "That I don't know. But you better really be sure Rory's going to come after you." She looked at her watch. "It's already been twenty-four hours and not a word from her. How long do you think she'll take?"

Logan had to admit, Honor had a point. He had expected to hear from Rory before he had gone to sleep the night before, and was surprised to wake up to not even a missed phone call. "Soon," he answered feebly.

"Soon?" Honor raised her eyebrow at him. "How soon? In case you hadn't realized it, tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we're due at Mom and Dad's any minute. Do you really think Rory's going to face that firing squad?" She shook her head and jerked her thumb toward the other guys. "Unless these two have a plan?"

Finn snorted. "Not likely, we thought Logan had this one in the bag." Hi eyes glinted. "Now Honor, tell us. Which of the ladies are you? Samantha, right?"

"Oh please!" Colin scoffed. "She's a total Charlotte."

"Hey!"

Logan slumped back against the pillows on the couch and stared miserably at the screen as a new argument brewed around him. In his mind, he had been doing the right thing. Rory needed that push, and how else was he supposed to have done that?

He stared feebly at the television screen as Big and Carrie argued over the placement of dominoes. As cheesy as the sentiment was, and even though it was a heavy-handed metaphor, he could see the point of the episode. Relationships were much like the domino pattern Carrie and Big had created. One false step and the whole thing would come crashing down around them. He didn't much care for that idea.

"Hey Honor?"

"Yeah?"

"What if I made a mistake?"

* * *

"This is a mistake," Rory muttered as she looked down at the phone in her hands. "I can't do this, he doesn't want to hear from me."

Lorelai sighed but didn't look up from the television. "Of course he does. He's waiting for you to call him. You know this. You want to call him. You know this too. You just didn't want to call him right away because you didn't want him to know you're desperate."

"I'm not desperate!" she protested weakly.

Lorelai scoffed, still not taking her eyes off of the screen. She and Rory had spent the better part of the day watching the Lifetime Movie Network Christmas movie marathon and having this same argument. "Just call him already. The longer you wait, the more you're going to talk yourself out of it. And if you talk yourself out of it, then clearly, you don't want to be with him anyway."

"I do want to be with him!" Rory said stubbornly.

"Then call him." Lorelai scrunched up her face. "Do you think Lifetime just keeps a revolving door of washed-up actresses to rotate in their movies? And do they not realize we know we're watching the same exact movie, with the same exact plot, just different faces?"

Rory sighed and turned her eyes back to the movie. Her phone rang in that moment and she nearly jumped out of her skin, tossing the phone into Lorelai's lap.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and looked down at the phone. "It's not him," she said as she handed it back. She turned her attention back to the movie again.

Rory looked at the display and frowned before answering it. "Hello?"

"Rory!" Finn spoke in hushed tones. "Quick question, do you think Carrie should have ended up with Aiden or Big?"

"Finn?" Rory blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Aiden or Big?"

"Aiden or Big?" she repeated. "You're seriously calling me to ask me if I prefer Aiden or Big? Really, Finn?"

"Aiden," Lorelai commented, not turning from the television. "Hands down."

"No way, Big!" Rory protested. "He and Carrie were the whole point of the show!"

"Thanks Rory, you've been a big help. Happy Holidays!" Finn disconnected the call, leaving Rory to stare speechless at the phone.

Lorelai finally looked away from the television. "Sounded like a most important call," she said.

Rory made a face. "I'm not sure what that was about. I'm not sure I want to know."

Lorelai laughed. "Hey, Logan is kind of like Big," she noted.

"You think?" Rory scrunched up her nose. "I'm not much like Carrie though. Except for the whole writer thing."

"That's true, my little Type A Miranda," Lorelai teased. "Ugh." She pointed at the television screen again. "This movie is going to end the exact same way the last one did, with the male lead surprising the whiny girl lead on Christmas Eve wearing a Santa suit. Lame. Hey!" She turned back to Rory. "Why don't you-"

"I'm not dressing up like Santa Claus," Rory said automatically.

"It clearly works," Lorelai protested. She slumped back against the couch at the look Rory gave her. "Fine, don't dress like Santa. Are you going to call him?"

Rory took a deep breath. "Yes." She picked up her phone and stood up. "Right now."

"It's a Christmas miracle!" Lorelai cried as Rory made her way to her bedroom to make the call. "Finally," she muttered as she turned her full attention back to the television.

In her bedroom, Rory quickly dialed Logan's number before she could lose her courage. She stared out the window as she waited for him to pick up the phone.

The phone only rang twice. "Hello?"

"Hey," she said quietly. "It's me."

There was a long pause on the other line. "I was wondering if you were going to call."

"I had some things to think about," she said defensively.

"Things huh?" Logan snickered. "Had a pro-con list to study?"

"Something like that." Her eyes flickered over to the sheet of paper lying on her bed. "Are you still in New York?"

"Just barely. Waiting on Honor to finish packing and we'll be on our way to Hartford." He hesitated. "I assume you made it back okay?"

"I did," she confirmed. "Yesterday afternoon."

"I didn't think, I should have made arrangements for-"

"It's okay," she said automatically. "I know my way from New York to Stars Hollow." She cringed at how awkward their conversation was.

Logan noticed it too. "I'm not sure what to say," he said honestly.

"Me either," she admitted.

"I meant what I said yesterday," he said suddenly. "But I probably could have said it better than I did."

"You're right though," she said quickly. "You were right. About everything."

"So where does that leave us?" He paused. "Where does it leave you?"

"I know where I want to be," she said quietly. "With you."

"But?"

She sighed. "There's no but, Logan. I'm telling you what you wanted to hear! Why do you assume there has to be a but attached to it?"

"Because there usually is," he shot back. "You know, like, Logan I love you but I don't want to marry you?"

"Oh my God! Really Logan? You're really going to go there again?"

"We always seem to end up there."

_"You_ always end up there!" she protested. "Usually minutes after you finish telling me you're not pushing me to get married."

"I'm not pushing you to do anything! I'm simply stating facts."

"And so am I. I don't know what else you want from me, Logan, I really don't. I'm telling you I want to be with you, but it doesn't seem to be good enough!"

"Maybe it's not." His words stunned the both of them.

"Excuse me?"

"I didn't mean that." Logan tried to backpedal but it was too late.

"No, I think you did." Rory sighed. "Well, I told you what I needed to tell you. And it's not enough. So I guess that leaves us right where we've been this entire time. Where we've been for two years. I'm not enough for you, Logan."

"Rory!"

"Well?" she challenged him. "Anything I say or do, it's never good enough. It's never as grand as a gestures as the ones you've shown me, it's never as flashy or extravagant, and you never seem to let me forget that."

"You're enough," he insisted. "I didn't mean what I said, what I was trying to say was that-"

"I know what you were trying to say," she said softly. And I get it, I do." She sighed. "Look, you and I both are going to be really busy these next two days, and we each have enough family drama to deal with on our own, so why don't we talk after the holiday, okay? We'll sit down and really talk."

"Rory..."

"Logan, it's okay," she said, trying to reassure him. "I'll see you in a couple of days, okay?"

"Fine," he said stonily, knowing he didn't have a choice. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," she promised. "Merry Christmas, Logan."

"Merry Christmas, Rory."

She dropped the phone on her dresser before collapsing on her bed, crumpling the pro-con list she had hastily scrawled out drunkenly the night before. That couldn't have gone worse if she had planned it to.

Next to her, her phone buzzed and she rolled over to grab it, reading the text message that had been sent.

_You're enough. You're more than enough._She smiled slightly at this and resisted the urge to redial his phone number. She had meant what she said about waiting until after Christmas to talk to him. Instead, she sent off a text message of her own.

_I will be._

* * *

_December 24th, 2009_

_"_Lorelai, we're leaving in ten minutes, I don't care if you're dressed or not," Luke yelled down the stairs at his wife, who was where she had been sitting for much of the last two days. The last thing either Luke or Lorelai wanted to do was go to the Gilmores' for the annual Christmas Eve party.

"I'm busy!" she hollered back, not tearing her eyes away from the television screen. She looked up as Rory entered the living room and sat down next to her. "You look very pretty," she said with a smile.

"Thanks." Rory glanced at the television. "Really Mom? A Very Brady Christmas?"

Lorelai nodded. "This is the epitome of Christmas cheese, Rory. Something that must be watched over and over, year after year. I mean, the drama! The antics! Will Carol and Mike surprise each other with vacations at the same time? Will Marcia's husband find another job? Oh my god, will Cindy get to eat dinner at the grown-up table?" Lorelai's voice rose dramatically with each question.

"Oh my god, will you get dressed already?" Luke yelled again from upstairs.

"I am dressed," she yelled back. She rolled her eyes at Rory. "Today's just shaping up to be tons of fun, isn't it?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, but there's apple tarts," Rory pointed out.

"That's true, there are apple tarts." Lorelai nodded at Rory's hands. "Where's your cell phone?"

"My phone? Why?"

"Why? Why? You mean you can actually last an hour without that thing glued to your hand?" Lorelai snorted. "I'm not blind, I've seen you texting every ten minutes since yesterday afternoon."

Rory bit back the grin that threatened to grace her features. "So there's been some communication," she admitted. And there had been. Ever since their phone conversation the day before, Rory and Logan had been engaging in some high volume texting. They had tried to keep it light and impersonal, but as the hours wore on, the conversation had become heavier, and definitely personal. Her cheeks warmed as she recalled some of the late night texts that had transpired between them.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I don't even want to know what you're thinking about."

"Sorry." Rory didn't sound sorry at all. She looked at her watch. "We're going to be late, and you don't want to give Grandma something to complain about before we're even through the front door, do you?"

"No, that's true." Lorelai craned her head toward the staircase. "Luke, come on! We're going to be late!" She snickered as Luke's muttering could be heard all the way to where they were seated on the couch. "He's being such a Grinch today."

"You're not exactly helping," Rory pointed out. Lorelai shrugged.

Luke came bounding down the stairs. He skidded to a halt at the foot of the step and glared at his wife and stepdaughter. "I thought you said you were ready," he complained.

"No, what I said was, we're going to be late," Lorelai pointed out. "I still need to find my shoes."

"Lorelai." Luke's voice held a warning note to it.

"But Luke," she whined, gesturing wildly to the television again. "We can't leave yet, I need to know how this ends."

"Oh really. You need to know how this ends? This movie right here? This movie you've made me watch three times this month alone?"

"Yes." Lorelai nodded emphatically. "What if this is the one time that Mike doesn't make it out of the collapsed building on time? What if Carol's heavenly voice doesn't save her husband? What if Sam the butcher doesn't come back for Alice?"

"What if I divorce my wife?" Luke asked sarcastically.

"On Christmas?" Lorelai pretended to look horrified. "That would be the worst Christmas gift ever." She finished buckling her shoe and stood up, turning the television off. "Okay, okay, let's go. We can't keep the Gilmores waiting!" She sailed past her husband and daughter and out the front door.

Rory smiled sympathetically at Luke as they left the house as well. "The holidays make her a little crazy," she reminded him. He just shook his head with a snort and they were on their way to Hartford.

_Been here less than 1 hour and grandma has already mentioned that this time next year there could be a great-grandchild if I play my cards right. Guess she's heard you're back around._

_Mom has disappeared for five smoke breaks in two hours. Dad still has yet to notice._

_The apple tarts are especially tasty this year._

_Grandfather just told me he fully expects me to run the company into the ground by summer. Merry Fucking Christmas._"Hey."

Rory's head snapped up as Lorelai joined her on the sofa. "Hey. Where's Luke?"

"Discussing the finer points of a Civil War documentary he watched on television with my Dad and his friends." Lorelai rolled her eyes. She nodded at Rory's phone. "How's Logan's night?"

Rory shrugged. "It's dinner at the Huntzberger's," she said, not needing to explain anymore.

"You miss him, huh?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Your phone has adhered itself to your hand in the last twenty-four hours. You've only eaten three apple tarts, and you barely blinked when Mom pushed you for a holiday baby next year. Clearly, your head is somewhere else tonight."

Rory shrugged. "We're in a really weird spot right now," she admitted. Briefly, she explained the conversation from the day before; about how she still felt like Logan thought she wasn't good enough for him, how she had been racking her brain with trying to figure out how to prove him wrong.

"So." Lorelai lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug. "Go to him."

"What?"

"Go. Right now, go to him, and make him believe you." She smiled slightly. "It's not always about grand gestures, but Hon, you've got to make _some _sort of move."

"We're about to sit down to dinner, Grandma won't-" Rory began to protest but Lorelai cut her off.

"Go," she repeated. "I'll cover with Emily. It'll be fine. Go." She smiled reassuringly and pulled Rory to her feet. "Go!"

"Thanks Mom," Rory said. She took her coat from the closet in the hallway and headed for the front door before she could change her mind. She was almost to the door when something on the Christmas tree in the foyer caught her eye.

It took her all of two seconds to grab the ornament from its branch and conceal it in her pocket before she was out the door.

At least now she had a plan.


	11. Baby, It's Cold Outside

**Chapter Ten - Baby, it's Cold Outside**

_My mother will start to worry_  
_My father will be pacing the floor_  
_So really I better scurry_  
_Well, what's a half a drink more ~ Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone_

The twenty minute drive from the Gilmores to the Huntzbergers seemed to take an endless amount of time. Granted, it had taken Rory nearly five minutes to start her car once she had actually gotten into it, and another three or so minutes to convince herself to drive. And now that she had finally reached the estate, she had spent the better part of the last ten minutes trying to work up the nerve to approach the front door.

With a frustrated sigh, she rested her head against the steering wheel her hands were currently gripping tightly. It wasn't like she was afraid to face Logan, that had nothing to do with it. It was everything that came along with facing him. The words she knew would spill from her the moment she saw him, the emotions she had carefully kept hidden for the last two years, that she had fought to keep in check for the last two weeks; everything, _everything, _would come tumbling out and once it was all out, there was no taking any of it back. Not that she wanted to take any of it back, but if she really thought about it, this was shaping up to be a pretty life changing moment in her life.

That is, if Logan accepted everything she needed to say to him.

She reached over to the passenger seat of her car and picked up her cell phone. Ignoring the three unread text messages she scrolled back through the ones from the night before, searching for one in particular. Again, she was surprised at how many there were to scroll through. After the exchange that had initiated their frenzied messaging over the last twenty four hours, quite a few different conversations had been brought up; some serious, some not so much.

_Is it okay to text if you won't see me until after Christmas? Are we breaking some sort of rule_? Him.

_There are no rules. But it does kind of defeat the point_. Her.

_Well, I've always been a rule-breaking kind of guy. Did you know Finn watches Sex and the City? Religiously_?

_That explains the phone call. Not surprised._

And then later on.

_I miss you. Can I say that? It's only been a day, but I miss you._

She had smiled at that one. She may have even read it over more than once. May have thought about saving it to her phone even.

_I miss you too. But we still have things to work out. Things I need to work out._

_I don't like not being able to see you._

_Maybe you shouldn't have walked out then. _She had regretted sending it the exact moment her finger hit the key.

_Maybe not. Are you going to hold this one over me forever?_

_No, maybe you were right to. I screwed up._

_I did too. I'm sorry._

And then later still.

_What are you wearing?_

She had paused at that one, debating on what would be the best way to answer that one, even though she already had an idea as to where this conversation was going. She had fired off her reply quickly, hitting send before she could change her mind.

_Fur-trimmed red satin nighty. Black boots. _

_Liar._

_You'll never know._

_Okay, I'll play along. How easy would it be for me to tear from your body?_

Rory quickly scrolled past the next few texts, not wanting to get carried away and forget what she was doing. She ran through the texts until she found the one she had been looking for.

_I need you to know I didn't mean it earlier. You are enough, Ace. You are. Give me the chance and I'll prove that to you over and over again._

She sighed, pausing to read over the words again. She glanced back at the big house, swallowing as she gathered up the last bit of courage she needed. Taking another deep breath, she killed the engine and threw open her car door.

She was enough, damnit.

"You okay?" Honor asked, leaning over from her spot at the dining room table. She nodded at the phone that was lying next to Logan's water glass. The phone he kept checking every twenty seconds.

"Yes Logan, are we keeping you from something?" Shira asked from the head of the table. "I mean, your father has managed to keep his cell phone out of view at dinner, I don't think it's too much to ask the same from you."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Just waiting to hear back from someone, Mother," he replied as he slid the phone out of her line of vision. Honor snorted into her napkin and coughed to cover it up. She had been mocking Logan over his sudden texting addiction for the last day.

"I see," Shira said coolly. Her eyes flickered to her son's face and she sighed. "I can assure you Emily Gilmore does not allow cell phones at her dining room table, so perhaps you could put yours away as well? This is a family dinner after all."

"Of course." Logan shared a look with Honor before turning to engage Josh into a conversation that would satisfy his mother while still keeping an eye on his phone.

Granted, Shira was likely right, the Gilmores had to have sat down to dinner by this time, and no way would Emily let Rory get away with texting at the table but she hadn't responded to the last three that he had sent, and he was beginning to wonder if maybe he had stepped over a line and the texting had become too much for her.

Over the last twenty four hours a lot of conversations had come up between the two of them, but you could only say so much in 140 characters and he was wondering when they would be able to actually sit down in person and talk things out. He knew one thing for sure, he'd be damned if he was going to let her get away again.

She just needed to stop ignoring his texts.

"Come on!" Rory pressed her finger to the doorbell again and waited impatiently for someone to answer the door. She jabbed at it again, and was about to ring it a third time when the heavy door finally swung open. She nearly ran over the poor maid in her haste to get into the front hall. "I need to see Logan!"

"The family is sitting down to dinner, Miss," the maid said primly.

"Fine, great. Is Logan here?" She tried to get past the maid but she wasn't letting her near the dining room. "I need to see him!" she repeated.

"It's Christmas Eve Miss," the maid said patiently. "If they are not expecting you, then you'll have to come back la-"

"I'm expected!" she insisted as she finally pushed past the maid and made a dash to the dining room. "Logan!"

"Rory?" He looked up in surprise from his conversation with Elias. "What are you doing here?"

"Finally," Honor murmured. She smiled innocently when Logan and Rory both shot her looks.

"I need to talk to you!" Rory stole a quick glance at the table but she hastily turned back to Logan when she saw Shira's cold stare. "Please?" She grabbed his arm and pulled him a few steps away from his family. Shira sighed audibly.

"What is it, Rory?"

"Home Alone 2!" She blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Home Alone 2," he repeated slowly with a nod of his head. "I don't know what that means."

"My favorite Christmas movie," she explained hastily. "Home Alone 2 is my favorite Christmas movie."

"Really?" His brow creased. "The first one is so much better."

"I agree, but I love the sequel. Please don't ask me why but it is my favorite. It just is." She was on the verge of rambling.

"Okay." Logan drew the word out slowly as he still tried to figure out what she was talking about. "And you had to rush over here and tell me this on Christmas Eve because why?"

"Because I wanted you to know. Because I was sitting at my Grandparents' party eating apple tarts and staring at the tree and I saw these." She pulled the two crystal birds out of her pocket. "Two turtledoves."

"You stole ornaments off of your grandparents' tree?" His mouth twitched, as he realized the words coming out of his mouth were slightly comical.

"Logan please! I'm going somewhere with this, I promise." He nodded slightly and waited for her to go on. "Two turtledoves," she repeated. "In Home Alone 2, Mr. Duncan gives Kevin two turtledoves and tells him that he's supposed to keep one, but that he has to give the other to someone else. Someone that is special to him, and that he cares about very much." With shaking hands, she held one of the birds out to him before finishing her explanation. "And that way, as long as they each have one, they'll be connected forever."

Logan looked down at the ornament in his hand. "Rory."

"It's you, Logan," she rushed on before he could say anything else and before she could lose her nerve. "It's always been you. You came back, and you've been so amazing and wonderful and patient and I've been so scared. And blind. And stupid. But mostly scared, you were right about that." Logan smiled before he could stop himself. "I've been so scared. Scared of what would happen if I let you in again and scared of what would happen if I didn't. Scared that I was going to lose you all over again and I couldn't do that again, Logan. I just couldn't." She took a deep breath and nodded her head definitively. "I'm not scared anymore. It's you. It's always going to be you." She shook her head as she felt tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I want it to always be you." She took a deep breath and nodded. "So ask me again," she whispered.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. Behind them, both Honor and Shira gasped.

Her head snapped up. "No?" she repeated incredulously.

"No." He raised an eyebrow. "I told you, this wasn't about me getting you to marry me. It doesn't have to be about that. I told you over and over again, I'm not rushing you into an engagement."

"And you're not," she protested. "If anything, I'm pushing you! Logan, it's okay. I promise you, it's okay. Ask me again."

"No." His tone was mild and his eyes were twinkling. Rory was instantly infuriated with him. Clearly he was enjoying making her beg. She wasn't about to let that sway her.

She looked him square in the eye and lifted her chin defiantly. "Fine. You want me to ask you?" They were both smiling now. "Don't think I won't." She waited a beat, but Logan didn't say a word. "Fine. Logan Huntzberger, will you ma-"

"Enough!" Shira cried from her place at the table She slammed her hand against the solid oak, rattling the china. "Stop this at once! Mitchum, do something!"

"Be quiet Shira," Mitchum warned. Much to his wife's chagrin he ignored her demand, merely taking a drink from his wine glass and nodding at Logan with a slight grin on his face.

Bolstered by the seeming support being thrown her way, Rory tugged on Logan's arm again until he turned back to her. "As I was saying," she said with a smile.

"No." He stopped her again. He reached up and swiped his thumb at the spot where tears had gathered in the corner of her eye. "You know that I'm only going to ask you once, right?" He waited for her to nod. "And that five minutes from now, your answer is still going to be your answer. There aren't going to be any take-backs or do-overs. This counts, Rory. This absolutely counts."

She failed miserably at keeping the smile off of her face as he took her hand and got down on one knee. "It counts," she agreed quickly.

"It really counts," he added again for good measure. She merely smiled in agreement. "All right." He took a deep breath, taking his time and teasing her at the same time. He looked down at their joined hands and then back up into her eyes. His request was simple. "Marry me?"

Rory nodded so hard she was sure she looked like one of those bobble-head dolls. "Yes," she said as fast as she could get the word out. "Yes!" She gripped his hand tighter.

Logan smiled sheepishly as he looked at their joined hands. "Big was right," he said with a chuckle. "You really do need a ring to close the deal."

She pulled him back into a standing position. "Eh, we've got stolen glass birds, that's not enough for you?" she asked lightly as he tugged her closer.

He shrugged and lifted his eyes to above her head. "It's a start," he agreed. His voice dropped as he spoke again. "We can always seal the deal here under the mistletoe," he suggested. "Until I get you a ring."

"Better make it a good one," she murmured as his lips neared hers. "The ring, that is." He bit her lower lip lightly before kissing her fully, very much aware of his family behind them.

As expected, the moment was shattered nearly instantly. "Oh!" Honor jumped up from her seat and rushed toward them, embracing them both. "That was seriously the most adorable thing I have ever seen!" At the same time, Shira confronted Mitchum.

"Are you blind, Mitchum? Do you realize what has just happened here? Why aren't you stopping them? I insist you put an end to this immediately!"

"What would you like me to do?" Mitchum asked, lifting his hands defensively. "They aren't kids, Shira. You know better than I that if Logan wants to do something, there's no stopping him, why would you think this would be any different?" His eyes were mischievous as he turned toward the couple. "Besides Darling, I thought you'd be pleased. You're so afraid he'd never want to get married in the first place."

"Oh!" Shira stood and glared at them all; her husband first, Logan and Rory second. She came around the table and stood very close to Rory. "You won't marry my son," she promised. She tossed her hair over her shoulders and stormed out of the room.

"I wish I could offer you some words of wisdom, Rory," Mitchum offered as he too came around the table to stand by his son. "But I am sure you knew what kind of family you'd be marrying into." He leaned in and kissed her cheek before shaking Logan's hand. "Though I wonder, if in your spontaneity, you forgot?"

Logan laughed too, before squeezing her hand. "Doesn't matter if she forgot," he joked lightly. "She can't change her answer. You heard her, she promised."

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised, curling her fingers around his hand. Her eyes caught his again, and she found herself blushing underneath his gaze, though she wasn't sure why.

Mitchum cleared his throat. "Honor, would you and Josh mind seeing to dessert and drinks being served in the dining room in about thirty minutes? I'm going to go check on your mother, and why don't we give these two a few minutes alone?" he suggested. He looked back at the table, not surprised to see Elias had fallen asleep during the commotion. "Leave Dad there for now, I'll come back and wake him after taking away Shira's cigarettes."

Logan nodded at his dad, accepted one more hug from Honor and then pulled Rory out of the dining room. She practically had to run to keep up with him as he pulled her down the hallway and up a flight of stairs.

"Slow down!" she laughed as he pulled her into a darkened room and shut the door behind them. "Did you not see I'm wearing heels he-" He cut her off, pushing her back against the door and claiming her mouth with his. She promptly forgot about complaining about her feet, instead fisting her hands into his shirt and bringing him even closer. Slowly, they drew apart, only their foreheads touching. "Hey," she whispered, bringing a hand up to his neck.

"Hey," he returned, just as quietly. "Change your mind?"

"Not yet." She meant it to be a joke, but he stiffened and she sighed. "I'm not changing my mind, Logan," she said softly. When he didn't answer, she opened her eyes and saw he was looking back at her. "What?"

"I just asked you to marry me," he stated.

She nodded, failing again to keep a smile off of her face. "And I said yes," she reminded him. "In fact, I was the one about to ask you, but you stopped me."

"Just stop, for one second," he pleaded. He took her hand again and guided her across the darkened room to sit on the bed at the other end. She glanced around, realizing they were in what she determined to be Logan's bedroom. She looked back at him nervously, chewing at her lower lip. His actions were starting to scare her a little. It had never occurred to her that he would have second thoughts about this. Was he having second thoughts?

"Logan, what is it?"

"Just stop. Stop, and really think about this Rory." Logan didn't make eye contact with her. "I know I told you there was no taking this back, but I'll give you twenty seconds, Rory. Hell, you saw my mother's reaction to this, it's not going to be as easy as we'd like it to be. Twenty seconds to think about it, to figure out if this is what you want or if you want to back out."

"Well," she said seriously. "True, Shira's not our biggest cheerleader right now, but she never has been. I can think of at least fifty other women I'd want as a mother-in-law, that's for sure." She reached over and picked up Logan's hand again, wrapping her fingers tightly around his. "Logan, come on!" She laughed. "When has our relationship ever been easy?" She laughed again at the look he gave her. "Seriously, we like to do things the hard way. We always have, but that's okay. I love how we do things." She leaned in and kissed him softly. "I love you." She kissed him again, letting her lips linger against his until she felt him responding. "I'm not backing out of this. Not now, not ten seconds from now, not ever." She pressed her lips to his again, breaking away only when a giggle escaped. "I mean, I stole an ornament for you, Huntzberger. This is the real deal."

He laughed with her, bringing her hand to his lips. "That is pretty big," he admitted.

"Mmmhmm." She saw that he had relaxed some and twisted herself around until she was sideways in his lap. "So," she drawled, raking her fingers through his hair. "Where are we? Am I finally seeing the great Logan Huntzberger's bedroom? Is this where magic happens?" she teased.

"You make jokes now, but there are at least sixty women who would love to be in your place right now," he said haughtily.

She shook her head, dipping her head to kiss him again. "I'll fight every single one," she promised. She tried to protest as he pushed her down against the mattress. "What do you think you're doing?" she scolded.

"Showing you what magic happens here." He smirked. "You asked, after all."

She pushed him away, trying to sit up. "Your family is right outside! One of them could walk in. You know Honor wouldn't bother to knock."

"But we should be celebrating." His hand slid under the hem of her dress, gliding up her thigh.

"And we will," she promised, swatting his hand away. "Soon." She didn't protest when he kissed her again.

On cue, there was a knock at the door and both of their heads snapped up. _See, _Rory mouthed at him triumphantly. From the hallway, Honor called that everyone was gathered in the living room for dessert.

"At least she knocked," Logan muttered before stealing another kiss. "We'll be out in five minutes," he yelled back. Honor muttered something unintelligible, but soon enough, they heard her footsteps echoing down the hallway.

"Five minutes, huh?" Rory asked, bringing Logan's attention back to her. "What could we possibly do in five minutes?"

"You said it so yourself, Ace." He smirked before moving in to kiss her neck.

"This is where magic happens."

* * *

"Have you changed your mind yet?"

Rory shoved Logan sideways and twisted her head to look at Honor. "Do you hear this? That was what? The eighth time he's asked me that in the last hour? I'm thinking he wants me to call this whole thing off at this point."

"Sounds like it to me." Honor smirked at her brother and settled in closer next to Josh. "Cold feet, little brother?"

"Please," Logan scoffed. "I'm just making sure she remembers she can't back out of this." It was nearly two hours late and the four of them were finishing up a bottle of wine. After one more hysterical outburst, Shira had excused herself to her bedroom for the night, and Mitchum had begged out after dessert, claiming work as his excuse.

"I haven't even given you a reason to think I'm backing out!" Rory protested. "But if you want me to back out, just say the word and I'll hand this right back to you." She held out her hand, admiring her ring; a Huntzberger family heirloom Mitchum had discretely handed Logan during dessert. She had been pleasantly surprised when not only did she find it to be an absolutely beautiful ring, but it happened to fit her perfectly.

"Never give back the jewelry," Honor spoke up with a shake of her head. She set her glass down and propped her feet in Josh's lap. "Seriously Logan, quit giving her a reason to back out. If anything, you should be trying to get her to marry you as soon as possible." Her eyes lit up. "You should elope! Wouldn't that just push poor Mom right over the edge?" She clapped her hands. "And that way, you wouldn't have to deal with either family pushing a big fancy wedding down your throats immediately."

"That's not a bad idea," Rory said thoughtfully. Two hours into her engagement and she was already dreading telling her Grandparents because she knew it would be only a matter of minutes before Emily would start throwing wedding plans at her.

"Yeah okay." Logan rolled his eyes. "You're telling me you'd be okay with running off and getting married without any of the big extravagant events?"

Rory made a face. "Do you know me at all? When have I ever seemed like that type of girl? No offense," she added, smiling at Honor.

"You're serious?" Logan asked, cocking his head to the side.

She nodded. "Yeah, I am." She shrugged. "I don't need the countless engagement parties, the receptions, the flowers, that's not me. I'd be happy with something small and private. A couple of close friends, family."

"Interesting." Logan studied her carefully for a minute. "So what if I said, let's do this. Let's go to Atlantic City right now and get married. Tonight."

Rory laughed. "Yeah okay," she mimicked his tone from moments before. "Sure, let's get married tonight." She tilted her head and looked at him. "You're not laughing. Why aren't you laughing?" She turned to Honor and Josh. "Why isn't he laughing?"

He shrugged, a smirk forming on his lips. "Let's do this, Ace. Let's get married tonight."

"Tonight," she echoed dumbly. "Logan, it's Christmas Eve. There's no way we could get married tonight!"

"Sure there is," he said mildly. "I know a guy."

"You know a guy," she repeated with a shake of her head.

"I know a guy," he confirmed.

It was with those words that an hour and a half later, Rory found herself aboard the Huntzberger plane with Logan, Honor and Josh, headed toward Atlantic City. It hadn't really set in, she didn't truly believe that Logan could pull this off, and she wasn't sure what would happen if once they arrived, he made good on his word.

Seeing as though he wouldn't even tell her this supposed guy he knew that could get them married, Rory wasn't too worried. As for now, she was just along for the ride.

"Getting nervous?" She jumped slightly as Logan leaned closer to her, but she shook her head in the negative.

"No," she scoffed. "Logan, I'm telling you, there's no way this can happen tonight."

"Really? After all these years, I'd think you'd know me better than that by now. Of course this can happen, Rory. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed you don't have any faith in me."

"Aww." She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek. "As much as I love you and your big grand gestures, somewhere, someone is going to draw a line and cut you off. I hate to say it, but I think this may be it."

"We'll see about that. Just you wait, Rory Gilmore. Just you wait."

"_This_ is your guy?" she asked, whirling around to face him. They had landed in Atlantic City minutes ago, and were immediately picked up by a town car and taken to Caesars Hotel. She had been confused at first, as to why they were going straight to a casino, but as she stood there looking at the two people who stood before her, it suddenly all made perfect sense. "You have _got _to be kidding me!"

"Rory!" Finn cried, sweeping her up into a bear hug. "Logan tells me we're getting you married tonight. Brilliant. Simply brilliant." He released her and reached over to shake Logan's hand. "I told you that certification would come in handy," he boasted proudly.

"No really." Rory couldn't comprehend it. "This is your guy? Finn? Finn is going to marry us?" She shook her head. "How? Why? What are you even doing in Atlantic City?"

"Beautiful place to spend the holidays when you have no family you want to spend them with," Finn explained. "Colin and I have come here, what? The last three years?" He turned to Colin who just nodded his head in agreement. "Right, three years, and it's always a great time. But this year!" He grinned broadly and crushed both her and Logan into another embrace. "'Tis the season for a wedding!"

"I'm surprised Gilmore, didn't think you had it in you." Colin saluted her with his drink in hand.

"Help me understand." Rory's brain still couldn't catch up to everything going on around her.

Logan just laughed and pulled her close. "This is my guy," he confirmed. "Our guy. Finn is ordained."

"Of course he is." Rory was surprised at how not surprised she was by this revelation.

"So, what do you say?" He pulled her a couple of steps away from the group and looked into her eyes. "We don't have to do this tonight," he said. "Trust me, I won't get mad if you say you're not quite ready, or that you've changed your mind and you want the big ceremony. I'm perfectly fine with getting back on that plane and heading home. It's your call, Ace."

"Well..." She turned her head sideways to look at their friends for a moment before turning back and facing Logan. Her hands found his and she shrugged her shoulders slightly. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. "We're already here..." Her hesitant smile broadened as she saw his eyes light up. She laughed. "I can't think of anything else I'd rather do tonight."

"You're sure?"

She nodded again. "I'm sure," she repeated. She laughed again at the look on his face. "Don't look so surprised, Huntzberger."

"You can't blame me for being a little surprised," he said, and she had to concede his point.

"True, but I'm still sure. Are you sure?"

"Oh I'm sure."

"Okay then." She smiled again and squeezed his hand. "Let's do this!"

* * *

_December 25, 2009_

Rory nestled deeper under the warm duvet, not wanting to open her eyes against the bright sunlight that was threatening around the edges of the heavy drapes. She rolled over, gasping when her arm hit something solid and warm. She almost laughed then, realizing she had forgotten she hadn't slept alone last night. Still, she didn't open her eyes, choosing instead to burrow deeper into Logan's side and sighing contentedly.

Logan pried his eyes open and looked down at her as she desperately tried to hold onto sleep. He ran his hand over her back, his fingers tickling up her spine before curling into the ends of her hair. He drew her closer with his other arm and breathed in the scent of her. She murmured in contentment, still half-asleep and he closed his eyes again, enjoying the silence. The silence, he knew, which was to be broken soon enough with cell phones and angry questions and confrontations.

She smiled sleepily at the feeling of his hand working its way into her hair. Lazily, she pressed her lips to his bare chest and kissed her way up to his jawline. "Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning," he returned before pulling her up to kiss her properly on the mouth. He had to admit, as far as waking up went, he couldn't complain about this at all. Her lips slid against his wordlessly for a few seconds and he wrapped his arms tighter around her as he rolled onto his back, bringing her to rest on top of him.

"It's too early to wake up, right?" she asked as she buried her face into his chest. "It can't be morning yet."

"It is," he said reluctantly. He moved to kiss the crook of her neck and she shifted slightly over him, her naked legs falling open to scissor against his own. Yeah, there were definitely worse ways he could think of to wake up in the morning.

"Hmm." She sighed her frustration over the lack of night and her eyes fluttered open before falling shut again. Her eyes flickered again, and through her eyelashes she caught sight of something shiny. Her engagement ring. She smiled dreamily, remembering that as of last night, she was engaged. Engaged. She was _engaged _to Logan. Except that didn't sound right to her. She was forgetting something, what was she forgetting? Her eyes shot open as she remembered just exactly what she was forgetting. She wasn't engaged at all, oh no!

"Logan." Her tone was hushed and he opened his eyes again, looking down at her as she propped her head up against his chest. "We got married." Her blue eyes were wide as she spoke. We're _married. We_ got married."

"We did," he affirmed, grinning as he remembered their wedding the night before. "You're absolutely right, we got married."

"We're married," she repeated. She sat up, wrapping the bedsheet around her as she looked down at her..._her husband._ She shook her head, trying to rid her brain of the sleepiness she was still fighting.

Logan sat up with her and placed a comforting hand on her knee. "Go ahead," he said lightly.

"Go ahead what?"

He smirked. "Oh Ace, come on! I know for a fact that there is a full-blown Rory freak out just bubbling up inside of you." He chuckled as she meekly nodded that he was right. "Okay then, let's hear it. Do your best,_Mrs. _Huntzberger."

"We're married!" she exploded. "We got married last night in Atlantic City by Finn! Finn, Logan! Finn _married_ us. Are we sure it's even legal?"

"It's legal."

"How could we do this? How could you let us do this? We didn't think about anything! Did you think about anything? Did you?"

"I thought about marrying you."

"Besides that!" She shook her head. "Logan, this is too soon. It's too quick. We didn't discuss anything. Not a single thing. What do we do now? Where are we going to live? Oh my god, your mother is going to kill us. My mother is going to kill us, Luke's going to kill you!" She buried her face in the bedsheet. "We just got on a plane and flew to Atlantic City and got married, who does that?" She looked up again and jabbed a finger into his chest. "This is all your fault, Logan!"

He blinked. "My fault? How is this my fault?"

"You had to go and one up me!" she said accusingly. "There I was, all grand gesture-y myself for once what with the storming your house and giving you stolen ornaments and professing my love for you! But that wasn't enough, was it? Oh no, _you_ had to go and ask me to marry you."

"You _told _me to ask you to marry me."

"And then that still wasn't enough! You go and ask me to elope! To get married right away. To get on a plane and fly here and marry you!"

He nodded. "And if you'll remember, I asked you not once, not twice, but three times if you were sure. You said you were sure, Rory."

"I wasn't thinking!" she cried. "Neither of us were, we couldn't have been! Logan, it's been two weeks. Two weeks since we started dating again, and now all of a sudden we're married? After two years of not seeing or speaking to each other at all. Do you honestly think this is a good idea? We're insane!"

He waited a few beats to see if she was going to say anymore but she seemed to be done. "Is that all?" he asked, a small smile creeping onto his face. "Do you have anything else to say?"

"How can you be so calm?" she asked. "Are you smiling? Why aren't you freaking out over this?"

He shrugged. "Are you done?" he asked again. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before nodding meekly. "Okay." He reached over and grabbed her hands with his. "You have a point," he agreed. "We really didn't think things through last night, we _might _have acted a little impulsively." He shrugged his shoulders. "The things we didn't think about though? We can figure them out along the way." He tightened his grip on her hands. "I don't care where we live and I don't care what our families think. Don't think about that right now." His thumb played with the ring on her finger. "Don't think about any of that right now. Please, for right now just think about this. We got married, Rory. After everything we've been through in the last four years, after getting through the last two weeks, we're married. It doesn't feel so bad, does it?" She lifted her eyes to meet his as he kept talking. "It feels right, Rory, doesn't it? Doesn't it feel like we should be here? Like we were always meant to get to this point?"

His words settled over her and she closed her eyes again, finally processing everything that had just happened in the last twelve hours. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she wasn't actually freaking out about any of it. She actually felt calm. Logan was right, this felt absolutely right.

When she opened her eyes again, she was smiling. "We're married," she repeated softly, trying the words out again. She was pleased when she realized she felt no panic or fear. "We're married," she said again, her voice full of awe.

Logan laughed then, releasing all of the pent-up tension that had been building as he had feared Rory was about to run out the door. "That we are, Mrs. Huntzberger," he teased.

Her eyes lit up and she moved closer to him on the bed, the sheet slipping and tangling between their legs as she did. "Say that again," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Say what?" he asked innocently, his hands sliding down her bare back, bringing her into his lap. He became acutely aware again of the lack of clothing between the two of them.

"You know what," she murmured, dragging her lips along his neck, nipping at his earlobe. "Please?" she pleaded.

"Oh," he said knowingly. He turned his head to capture her mouth with his before pulling her into his embrace and flipping them around so that she was on her back underneath him. "You mean, Mrs. Huntzberger?" She shivered at his tone and nodded as he stretched his body out against hers.

"Again," she requested as his lips found her collarbone.

He was all too happy to oblige her, calling her his wife one more time before capturing her mouth with his. She responded eagerly, winding herself around him tightly, kissing him with more passion than she could ever remember feeling before.

Reluctantly, Logan found himself pulling away. As much as he wanted nothing more than to stay in this hotel bed with his new wife for the rest of the day, he was all to aware of the family obligations the both of them had. They hadn't exactly left a note before leaving Connecticut and he could only imagine the reactions they were about to face head-on.

Rory's eyes popped open as he pulled away and she frowned. "Pretty sure that we're not finished here, Logan," she teased lightly. "We've barely gotten started."

"We need to go back," he said regretfully. "Hartford awaits. My parents. Your mom. Everyone."

"No," she whined. "Can't we just stay here?" She made a show of looking around the hotel room. "We've got everything we'll ever need right here." Her foot traced its way up his leg. "Can't we just have a couple of more hours?" she pleaded. "It's so nice and comfy and cozy in this bed and I'm betting it's way to cold out there." She nodded at the window. "Please?"

Logan groaned as her hands dipped beneath the blankets and wrapped around him. He knew they needed to leave soon but he was just as tempted as she was to stay in this bed all day long. "We really need to go," he protested.

"We don't," she argued, running her hands over him. "Just a little while longer," she pleaded. His body fell back against hers and she smiled, knowing that she had him.

"One hour," he said sternly.

"One hour," she agreed sweetly.

Two and a half hours later, Rory fell back against the pillows and pushed her hair off of her neck with one hand, running the other hand through Logan's hair as he pressed one last kiss to her stomach. "You trying to break some sort of record there?" she asked breathlessly.

"Are you complaining?" He looked up at her with a grin and she shook her head vigorously. They both groaned as her cellphone went off. "Leave it," Logan urged as he saw Rory reaching for her phone on the nightstand. "Rory," he needled, kissing her thigh.

"It's my mom," she said reluctantly. Logan dropped his head to her leg and kissed her knee.

"Make it quick," he warned. His hands trailed lightly from her foot up her leg as he continued kissing his way upward.

"Hi Mom!" she said brightly, biting down on her lower lip and staring up at the ceiling.

"So you _are _alive!" Lorelai's voice rang accusingly in her ear. "I was beginning to wonder about that, you know, what with the you never coming home last night. Or this morning."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Things got a little crazy last night." She used her free hand to try and push Logan away but he caught it and held it at her side.

"Crazy huh?" Lorelai snorted into the phone. "What? Did you and Logan finally run off and get married?" Her laughter died off as Rory stayed silent. "Oh my God, you ran off and got married!"

"It just kind of happened!" Rory exclaimed guiltily. "He asked me to marry him last night and then we were sitting there talking and the next thing I knew, we were in Atlantic City."

"Atlantic City?" Lorelai sighed. "You guys sure aren't wasting any time."

"Not anymore," she said quietly. Logan looked up at her and she smiled at him.

"Wow." Lorelai's voice was tinged with sadness. "You really got married? Without me?"

"It really was spur of the moment," Rory explained, making a mental note to put off telling her mother that Honor and Josh had made the trip with them.

Lorelai sighed again. "Are you happy?"

"I am," she said firmly. "Very happy." She bit down on the inside of her cheek again as Logan resumed kissing his way up her body but a giggle escaped before she could stop it.

"What was that?" Lorelai asked sharply. "Was that a… that was a sex giggle wasn't it? Seriously? You answered the phone while in the middle of _that_? I don't know if I should be proud or disgusted."

"Well, be both, but I should probably hang up the phone before you hear something else you won't want to hear." Rory gave Logan a dirty look as he pinned her down beneath him, making his intentions clear.

"And I officially moved onto the side of disgusted. Will you be home at all today? It is Christmas, after all."

"We'll be home soon," Rory promised. "And hiding in Stars Hollow, far away from Logan's family." She gasped as Logan nearly slid into her and twisted slightly out of his reach.

"I really didn't need to hear that. I'm hanging up now. We'll see you soon."

"I'll call when we land," Rory managed to get out as Logan moved to pry the phone from her hand.

"See you soon, _Mom_," he said cheerfully into the phone, having successfully taken it away.

"Mom? He's already calling me Mom? I swear to God, this better not be some huge prank the two of you are playing on us, because let me tell you—"

"Really have to go, bye Mom!" Rory snatched the phone out of Logan's hand and snapped it shut before throwing it to the floor. She laughed as Logan slid into her again, this time without a fight. "Really? You couldn't wait until she was off the phone?"

"I really couldn't," he said seriously. He leaned down and kissed her again, effectively silencing her giggles. He made love to her one more time before they grudgingly climbed out of bed, dressed, and made their way to the airport.

An hour and a half later, they were on a plane about to descend into Hartford. Logan turned his head sideways and grinned at the girl sitting next to him. "Are you happy?"

Rory pretended to think it over, but couldn't quite keep the smile off of her face. "I am," she said with a nod. "Are you?"

"I am," he said, lacing his fingers with hers. He sighed and looked out the window at the ground approaching them. "It's going to be a rough couple of days," he pointed out.

She laughed. "That's putting it mildly." She shrugged her shoulders. "We have a few people on our side though," she pointed out. "We have each other." She leaned over and pecked his cheek. "Let Emily and Shira have their fits, it's not going to change anything and not for one second, am I going to regret any of this."

He cocked an eyebrow. "No regrets at all?"

"None," she said firmly. She was pleased to realize she meant every word she said. Sure, they still had a lot of things to figure out, but for once, she wasn't worried about any of it. They'd figure it all out in their own time, and until then, well, as she'd learned in the last two days, there was something to be said for going with the unknown.

"You're amazing," Logan said simply. He was still having some difficulty believing everything that had happened. Had it really only been two weeks ago when he'd stormed his way into Stars Hollow and convinced her to give him a second chance? If anyone had told him then that he'd be sitting where he was today, he'd have laughed and called them crazy.

She blushed and shook her head. Leaning over, she kissed him once more and rested her forehead against his. "We're amazing," she corrected him softly. "Merry Christmas, Logan."

"Merry Christmas, Rory." They kissed again as the plane touched down and in that moment, neither could think of a better Christmas gift to have given or received. A touching sentiment, to be sure; one however, that led to one very important question.

How on Earth were they going to top this next year?

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wow, I can't believe we're here! Sure, it took me a little longer than I had originally planned, but we made it! Thank you all, so much for the amazing following this story has gotten. I'm so happy you all seem to enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I hope the end was satisfying, and I hope that I've left you wondering... what could possibly happen in the epilogue?

Thank you again!


	12. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve

**Epilogue – New Year's Eve **

_Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight  
__When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night  
__Welcoming in the New Year  
__New Year's Eve ~ Vonda Shepard_

_November, 2010_

A year's time brought them nowhere near where they had been expected to be, yet if asked, neither could come up with a single thing they would change. Yes, though the last ten months had been trying, they had handled each trial and tribulation that came there way with as much grace and strength as they could. United, they were realizing, they could overcome most any problem thrown their way.

The reactions immediately following their elopement had been worse than anticipated. Shira had taken to seclusion, not speaking to either Rory or Logan for three months' time. What she had failed to realize was that this made their transition into husband and wife much easier than if she had played the part of a meddling mother-in-law. A part, they'd found out in early spring, that fit Shira like a silk glove. Now, barely a day went by without her phoning them to remind them of an upcoming social engagement or to ask that ever delicate question of when they were going to have a child.

The Gilmores, once thought to be the stronger ally to their granddaughter and her new husband, had been equally disappointed in the marriage that had taken place. To be sure, they were delighted in the union itself; Richard had beamed for days over it and Emily had gloated to the DAR Ladies; but they refused to relent in their disappointment that they had chosen to _elope_. A word, so tacky in their circles, that immediately, they all found themselves in a whirlwind of gossip that began with the whispered words "shotgun wedding" and ended with malicious and unfounded snark over trust funds attached to matrimonial vows.

Lorelai had perhaps, the most surprising reaction of them all. She had greeted them both with open arms on Christmas Day once they had arrived in Stars Hollow. She hadn't ridiculed or mocked, she didn't condescend or belittle their choice. She had; however, asked Logan to call her Lorelai, but by the end of the evening had come to terms with his calling her Mom. Though, to get even, she did make him endure an hour long talk from Luke, about what exactly would happen should he ever decide to break Rory's heart again. It was a fate Logan didn't care to explore beyond merely hearing about it. And from that day on, Lorelai had become their biggest supporter. She refereed between family squabbles; she even put Shira in her place when needed. And most importantly, she had graciously declined to hold a grudge upon hearing that Honor, Josh, Colin and Finn had been present for her daughter's wedding when she herself had not.

Logan and Rory had taken it all in stride, laughing off the gossip and placating both sides of the family with whatever they could. Friday night dinners had been reinstated by Emily and upon hearing this, Shira had insisted on Sundays.

Yes, they were living in Connecticut. Though truthfully, it had been Rory who had first relocated to California, a mere two weeks after they had gotten married. A month and half later, she still hadn't found a job she felt she would truly be happy at and by the end of the second month, she was so homesick for the East Coast that Logan had taken one look at her and before she knew it, had moved them back to Hartford. Within a few weeks, at the ever so slight nudging of Mitchum, Rory found herself happily settled back at the _Stamford Gazette_ as a contributing features editor. Logan too, made himself comfortable back on home ground, throwing himself headfirst into the family business, much to Mitchum's delight. Logan was doing well enough that rumors began to swirl of Mitchum's imminent retirement; rumors that both Logan and Mitchum scoffed at, knowing damn well the old man would work until he was dead.

Mostly, marriage seemed to agree with Rory and Logan in every way. Well, in every important way at least. Learning to live together again had been a challenge for the both of them, but in an endearing and romantic-comedy type of way. She had blocked out the memory his penchant for belting out 80's hair band songs while in the shower and he had forgotten that she was apt to leave a minimum of five half-empty coffee cups laying around the house every day because she would set one down and forget where she had put it. Eventually, they resolved their issues; partly because they weren't really issues at all but mostly because after one ridiculous fight, Rory had threatened to withhold sex that evening and that was an idea Logan had not been fond of. Sure, their marriage was not without difficulties, but their sex life was not something Logan was willing to give up over a couple of coffee mugs. He even went as far as to make an effort to not sing as loudly as he normally liked to while in the shower.

Then, November happened. Their night, a Thursday evening to be exact, had started out pleasantly enough. The plan had been pizza and a movie, and Rory had just finished placing their order when she heard Logan's key turn in the lock.

"Pizza's on its way!" she called from the bedroom, where she was shedding her work clothes in favor of something more comfortable. She twisted her hair up into a ponytail and stuck her head out of the bedroom door. "You're home a little later than I thought, everything okay at work?"

"Work's fine." Logan was hesitating by the door. "How was your day? Good?"

"Great!" Rory chirped. She finished changing and met Logan in the kitchen. "Sorry I had to cancel on lunch, but I had a meeting I couldn't get out of." She reached up and kissed him. When he kissed her back, she couldn't help but notice the tension in his frame. She pulled back with a slight frown and kneaded the spot between his shoulder and neck with her fingers. "You okay babe? Rough day at work?"

"Work was fine," he said again, absently. He glanced at the door and then back at her. "We need to talk," he said quietly. "And I need you to stay calm and promise not to freak out."

She took a sharp breath and dropped her hand from his neck. "No good conversation starts out like that," she said with trepidation. "Logan, what is it?"

"I need to tell you something," he said unnecessarily. "And while it's not good, it's also not the worst thing in the world, and I need you to promise me you'll remember that. This isn't the end of the world, everything will be okay."

"You're starting to scare me," she said uncertainly. "What's wrong?" He gestured for her to sit but she refused. A million possibilities were running through her head and she didn't care for any of them.

Logan ran a hand through his hair, hesitating again. She watched as he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "Okay, so-"

"It's my fault Rory, not Logan's!" Their heads snapped toward the front door as Finn came bursting in. Logan swore under his breath and Rory was too confused to do anything but stare at the two of them.

"I told you to stay away," Logan said through clenched teeth.

"What's not your fault, Logan?" she asked tightly.

"Our wedding," he said finally. He couldn't look at her directly.

"Yes?" She crossed her arms across her chest.

It's my fault!" Finn cried out again. Logan silenced him with a look.

"Our marriage isn't valid." He said the words so quickly that Rory was positive she hadn't heard him right.

"Excuse me?" She _couldn't _have heard him correctly. "Can you say that again?"

"Our marriage isn't valid." He spoke at a normal pace this time.

"Isn't valid," she echoed. Her eyes flickered between the two men standing in front of her. "I don't... I mean... How? Why? How?" she asked again.

"I can explain, it's not that big of a deal, it's just that Finn forgot-"

"No," Rory interrupted. "No. You said, _you _said that it was going to be okay. I know a guy, Rory! Remember that? Finn's our guy, Rory, he can marry us! You _told _me it was legal, Logan!"

"It would have been if someone would have filed our license and certificate like he was supposed to," Logan said angrily, throwing another glare toward Finn.

"Paperwork?" Rory shrieked. "You're telling me that we're not married because of paperwork? Are you kidding me? Why? Why would you leave something as important as filing legal documents in the hands of _Finn?_" She pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. "I don't even know what to say right now."

"Rory, this is all my fault. I will fix this," Finn insisted, stepping closer. Instinctively, Rory took a step back and held up her hand.

"Get him out of here," she ordered Logan. Logan reacted immediately, grabbing Finn by the arm and pushing him out the door, locking it soundly as he closed it behind him.

"Rory, I ca-"

"Don't, just stop." She held up her hand again and dropped down into the nearest chair. "We're not married," she said weakly.

"Not technically. But Ace, all we need to do is refile, we can get a new license and I will make sure I'm the one who-"

"Oh my God, Shira," she muttered, dropping her head to the table. "Your mother is going to have a field day with this. Emily too. Seriously Logan, why would you think Finn would be the most logical person to do such an important task for us? Why didn't you do it yourself? Why didn't you have me do it? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking we had a million other things to do," he shot back. "We had to come back home and deal with our families, we had to move you out to California, I had to work..."

"So you give our lives to Finn to handle? God Logan! Honor was there, Colin was there...seriously, I would have found the time to take the damn papers to the courthouse myself. _Anyone _but Finn!"

"He said he would handle it." Even as the words left his mouth, Logan knew it was the wrong thing to say. He had known better than to let Finn handle the paperwork, but Finn had insisted and well, he had had other things on his mind.

"We're not married," she repeated. She felt sick to her stomach. "So this past year... we've what? Have we been breaking any laws?" She was starting to panic. "I changed my name! I'm not actually a Huntzberger."

"We'll be okay," Logan insisted. "Like I said, all we need to do is refile. No one will even have to know about this."

"You want our entire first year of marriage to be a lie?" She shook her head vehemently. "Absolutely not Logan, I can't do that. I can't pretend that this isn't a huge deal. This is going to be such a freaking scandal with our families, Logan." Her eyes widened. "What if we had gotten pregnant?"

Logan's head shot up. "Are you?"

"No," she admitted. "But we could have been! Can you imagine the nightmare that would have been?"

"Let's not make this any worse than it is." Logan was trying to diffuse the situation but she just glared at him so he dropped it. "What do you want to do next, Rory?"

She took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. "You need to leave."

"What?" He hadn't expected that.

"You need to go," she said quietly. She brought her eyes up to his. "I am so angry right now, Logan, I don't even know what to do. What I do know is I need to be alone to think for awhile, and if I leave this house, I can't guarantee I'll come back tonight. So please, just go."

He stared at her for a long moment and finally nodded. "Okay," he agreed, grabbing his coat and his keys. She didn't move from where she was at the table, so after a slight hesitation he bent and kissed the top of her head. "Love you," he whispered before leaving the house.

Rory stared at the door for awhile, wondering if he would actually leave. The sound of his car backing out of the driveway confirmed that and for a moment, she regretted asking him to go in the first place. She pushed herself out of the chair and wandered aimlessly around the house, ending up in their bedroom.

She picked up a framed picture off of one of the dressers. It was the two of them, taken by Honor the night they got married. She winced, realizing that she couldn't actually say that. She would now have to look at that picture and remember it as just a picture of the two of them from Christmas Eve. She sighed. Was she being overdramatic? Was Logan right in that this wasn't that big a big deal? Could it really be as easy as signing their names on two new pieces of paper?

She was started by the ringing doorbell. She smiled briefly, wondering if it was Logan. She sprinted through the house and set the picture down on the table before opening the door to see the pizza delivery guy standing there. She had forgotten about that. She paid him quickly and set the pizza box down next to the picture she had dropped.

Rory was angry. She felt like the entire last year didn't count. It had taken everything she had in her to finally admit to Logan that she wanted to be with him, and then the whirlwind proposal and engagement. She had thrown herself into this marriage headfirst and given it her all, they both had, and for what? It didn't count. None of it counted.

But it _had _counted. Though they would never dare admit it to anyone but each other, getting married the way they did might not have been the best thing they could have done. They had acted impulsively, and there had been so many consequences to their actions. Consequences that luckily had ended up making their relationship stronger in the end, but had been scary at the time. Neither of them had known what they were getting into, but they had realized they needed to learn as they went, and to learn from the mistakes and celebrate the _successes_. At first, it was abundantly clear that Logan had no clue how to be a husband and Rory too, had struggled with her ideas of what kind of wife Logan had wanted. Now Rory couldn't understand why she had said no in the first place three years ago and at the end of every day she couldn't imagine not being married to Logan.

Except, she wasn't married to him. She felt tears stinging her eyes and looked toward the door again. Why had she told him to leave? When was she going to learn that running away from their problems never worked? Why was it always her first inclination to distance herself from him before confronting their issues? What if he decided not to come back? She looked down at her rings, twisting them nervously as she glanced at the clock on the wall.

Just then, her Blackberry buzzed, nearly dancing itself off of the table. She made a grab for it before it vibrated off of the edge.

_Can I come home yet?_

She smiled, a choked laugh slipping from her throat. He hadn't been gone thirty minutes but that didn't stop her fingers from flying across the keypad.

_Yes. Hurry._

She ran to the front door, intent on meeting him there when he got back. She was startled when she flung open the door and saw him already standing on the step. "I'm sorry," she murmured, throwing herself into his arms. "I shouldn't have asked you to leave."

"It's okay." Logan smoothed his hand through her hair.

"It's not," she insisted. She pulled back slightly to look at him. "I'm not that girl anymore. I don't run away and I shouldn't have made you leave. We need to figure this out together."

"I'm glad you think that, because I think I've figured this out."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? In half an hour, you've figured everything out?"

"I'm good, what can I say." He dropped his hands from her waist and grabbed her hands, pulling her into the living room.

"Okay then, let's hear it." She looked at him expectantly.

"Well." He smirked. "I think we should get married. Obviously."

"I think I liked your first proposal better."

"Well, you'll love our second wedding."

He had her interested. "What do you have in mind?" She sat down on the sofa and waited for him to join her.

"Here's what I'm thinking. All we've heard since last Christmas was how we let everyone down by running off and getting married on our owns. What if we took this opportunity to do it right?"

She frowned. "I loved our wedding though."

"I did too," he assured her. "But still, a traditional ceremony with our friends and family there wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

She shook her head. "It would be nice," she said guardedly.

"Yes, it would be _nice_," he teased. "And we could let my mom and your grandmother plan it. Lorelai too."

"Whoa, now wait a minute."

"Rory." He threaded his fingers through hers. "We had our wedding. Why not give them theirs?" He squeezed her hand lightly as she pondered his words. "It would mean a lot to them, you know it would."

"But..." she quickly realized she didn't have a good argument. "I don't want to wait forever to be married to you again," she said finally.

"I don't either. I gave this some thought. I don't think we should get married at Christmas again. We don't need to recreate the first wedding," he explained. "But I don't want this year to end with us not being married either, so I think we should plan on New Years Eve."

"Yeah okay," she scoffed. "That's seven weeks away. How do you expect Emily and Shira to plan something in that amount of time?"

He smirked again. "Well now, we can't do this wedding _just _for them," he pointed out. "We have to do something for ourselves. Can you think of anything more fun that giving them that time frame?"

"That's awful!" she gasped. A small laugh escaped from her as she pictured Emily's face when they told her. "Do you really think they could do it?"

"Emily, Shira and Lorelai?" He gave her a look. "And then throw Honor in the mix?"

"Yeah, okay, they could pull it off," she admitted. She sat back against the couch and looked down at their joined hands, running her thumb over his ring. "I like being married to you," she said nonchalantly.

"Yeah? I like being married to you too," Logan returned. "So we should probably make it legal, don't you think?"

She pouted. "Really? Do I really only get one proper proposal?"

"You got two," he reminded her with a pointed stare. She rolled her eyes and climbed over to his side of the couch and into his lap. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and they sat there silently for a minute.

"It just feels like we're moving backward," she said finally. "I feel like we've finally gotten the hang of this whole married thing. What if we get married again and everything changes? What if it doesn't work out?"

"Do you know how irrational you sound like now?"

"Yes." She was fully aware that she wasn't making any sense as she spoke.

"Okay, just checking." Logan ran his fingers up and down her spine. "We're not moving backward, Ace. So, we're not married." He shrugged beneath her. "We've had a year of practice, so when we are married, we'll be really good at it."

She sighed. "There's really no other strings we could pull?"

"Sure, I could ask my dad," he said with a nod. "But do you really want to do that?"

"No." She sighed again. "So, we're getting married?"

"Looks like." He curled his fingers under her sweater against her bare skin. His mouth dropped to a spot just behind her ear he knew would get a reaction from her as he inched her sweater up slightly. Sure enough, she gasped lightly, arching her neck to give him better access.

"I take it we're not going to do the whole no sex before marriage thing?" she murmured, feeling him harden beneath her.

"What fun would that be?" He bit at her skin lightly, moving them both until they were lying across the couch. He wasn't merely just trying to get her to forget their current situation. They'd had a brief interlude upon waking up that morning, one that had interrupted by his phone ringing before they got very far and he'd had to leave her, heading straight into an early meeting Mitchum had insisted on. He'd spent the better part of the day fantasizing about his wife and couldn't have been more thrilled when she had texted him, asking if he was okay with a night in, instead of going out as they were apt to do on Thursdays. He told her this now, in blunter terms, enjoying the reaction his words provoked. Her sweater was now lying on the floor, followed soon by his shirt.

"We have a wedding to plan," Rory protested breathlessly, half-halfheartedly struggling beneath him. Her knee brushed against him and he pushed her deeper into the cushions.

"We don't have to plan anything. Tomorrow we'll tell Shira, Emily, and Lorelai and we won't have to do a damn thing."

"But..."

"Rory." His voice was a low growl as his hand skimmed its way up her inner thigh. "I'm doing some great work here. Do you really want me to stop so you can start making lists?" He made a move to push himself off of her and was satisfied when she grabbed his ass to pull him back down against her.

"Don't you dare," she commanded, bringing his mouth down to hers again. It wasn't long before the rest of their clothes were laying on the floor. She sighed contentedly when he finally entered her. Say what you would about living in sin, but Rory had found her sex life with Logan before marriage was nothing like it was after. They reached far beyond newlywed status; she had found herself to be insatiable and Logan had no problems matching, sometimes exceeding, her needs.

Of course, she thought lazily as his mouth found hers again, in all actuality there _were _still living in sin and it was still pretty damned amazing.

Becoming newlyweds again wasn't necessarily such a bad thing after all.

* * *

_December 31, 2010_

"Rory, you need to relax!" Lorelai chuckled from where she sat watching as Rory turned to the mirror again, fussing with her hair.

"Relax," she muttered, flicking a speck of mascara from underneath her eye. "There are 500 people out there waiting to watch me trip as I walk down the aisle and you want me to relax?"

"Now you're being silly. Not all of them are waiting for you to trip." Lorelai sighed as Rory didn't react to her attempt at joking. She stood up and crossed the room, placing a calming hand on her arm. "Seriously Rory, stop." She grabbed both of her hands and led her over to the sofa, forcing her to sit before sitting next to her. "Take a deep breath, this isn't a big deal."

Rory rolled her eyes and looked at her mother in disbelief. They both knew this was a very big deal.

The news that Logan and Rory weren't actually married had been met with mixed reactions. Lorelai, upon hearing the whole story had snickered and told them that was what they got for leaving her out of the whole thing. Emily had been appalled, and insisted Richard do something to make them legal. Shira had been delighted, telling them they could put the whole marriage nonsense behind them and go their separate ways and no one would think anything about it. Mitchum had poured them each a strong drink and told them they would all figure it out.

Naturally, once they had revealed their intentions of another wedding, with the planning falling directly on their families, the reactions had changed. Emily and Shira immediately when into action, trying in vain to convince them both to wait until at least the spring. Logan had been adamant on the date, much to their chagrin, saying it was either New Years Eve or they would again, elope.

And so here they were, standing in the middle of Mitchum and Shira's country club, a mere thirty minutes before the ceremony. In spite of telling herself that this wasn't anything to be nervous about, Rory felt like she was going to be sick.

Lorelai frowned at her. "You just went white as a ghost, Rory, what's going on? You can't tell me you're really nervous about this."

"Well I am!" Rory insisted. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the sofa for a minute. She was nervous, whether Lorelai felt she had any right to be or not.

"Oh honey." Lorelai put her hand back on her arm and waited for her to open her eyes again. "Everything is going to be fine, you know it is." There was a knock at the door, breaking the moment and it opened before Lorelai could reach it.

It was Finn. "I'm here to see if you lovely ladies need anything before we start?" He hovered by the door. Though Rory had since forgiven him for putting her in this situation to begin with, he still tended to be the first person she lashed out when the wedding planning began to get the best of her.

She didn't have the energy for Finn at the moment. "Finn, please, just go away," she begged. "It's your fault I'm here in this ridiculous dress feeling like I'm about to throw up from nerves in the first place!"

"We're fine, thanks," Lorelai said, ushering Finn out the door and closing it behind him. She turned back to her daughter. "Seriously hon, you need to calm down." She grabbed a bottle of champagne from the table and poured a glass. "Here, drink this. It'll settle your nerves."

Rory took one sip but thrust the glass back at Lorelai. "I can't drink this," she said, turning away and resuming her pacing. Not an easy task to do while in her wedding gown, but she still managed. "I'm going to be sick," she muttered more to herself, but Lorelai still caught it.

"Is this more than nerves, Kid?" she asked. "Are you getting sick?" She moved to place her hand against her daughter's forehead but Rory moved out of her reach quickly.

"I'm fine." She kept her face turned from Lorelai as she moved senselessly around the room.

"Uh-huh." Lorelai wasn't buying it. Realization dawned on her as she watched Rory's hand settle unknowingly across the front of her dress. "Rory," she breathed.

Rory's head snapped up and her hand dropped as she finally turned to face her mother. "Mom?" she questioned.

She gestured wildly at her, unable to form a coherent thought just then. "You... you're.. I mean, you are... are you?" Her mind instantly flashed back over the several weeks and instances during the wedding preparations in which Rory had reacted to certain situations with what Lorelai had thought at the time, had been needless hysterics and random outbursts.

"Am I what?" Rory avoided eye contact with Lorelai.

Lorelai moved toward her again, blinking back tears. "Oh honey, you're-"

"No!" Rory spit the word out quickly, before she could stop herself.

"No?" Lorelai frowned.

"No," she said again. Except that she absolutely was. She was and she hadn't realized it until just after Christmas. The holidays had been a hectic time, between functions between both families and the wedding preparations; she hadn't really paid any attention to her health and had attributed everything to stress. A quick trip to her doctor had proven otherwise. She was pretty sure that the night they had found out they weren't married was the night to blame, but she hadn't had the time to tell Logan yet. Right after Christmas he had flown to California for a couple of days and hadn't arrived back at home until late last night and there simply hadn't been time to tell him.

Rory sighed and bit down hard on her lower lip. She knew she couldn't lie to her mother, but she couldn't tell her the truth either. She sighed, and looked up. "If I was..._anything, _I couldn't tell you first," she whispered regretfully. "Logan... he would need to know first and I haven't told him..._anything." _She looked pleadingly at Lorelai. "Please, be okay with that."

Lorelai nodded quickly. "So once Logan knows..._anything_, then...?"

"Then you'll be the next to know," Rory promised. She blinked rapidly, trying not to ruin the eye makeup the stylist had taken nearly fifteen minutes to apply.

"Okay," Lorelai agreed. Mother and daughter held eye contact for several moments. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Okay," she repeated, clearing her throat. "We need to get your veil on." Her hands were shaking as she lifted the lid from the box. She laughed, shaking her head as she set the veil back down. "I'm not going to cry," she promised. "I just need a minute."

"Don't you dare make me cry either," Rory threatened. She opened her mouth to say more, but they were interrupted by a slight knock at the door.

It was Shira. "May I come in?"

"Of course." Rory eyed the other woman curiously. She had been the last person she had expected to walk through that door.

Shira stepped in and closed the door behind her. "You look lovely," she offered tentatively. She took a deep breath. "Lorelai, may I have a moment alone with Rory?"

Lorelai looked quickly at Rory who nodded, before nodding herself and slipping silently from the room. Rory smoothed her hands down the front of her dress and looked at Shira expectantly.

Shira cleared her throat uncomfortably and avoided direct eye contact. "I'm not here to make amends for the past, or get into some long winded apology for my behavior, if that's what you're thinking."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Okay."

At last, Shira looked at her. "You make my son happy," she said finally. "And Lord knows I've spent enough time trying to figure out why and how. I don't understand it, but it is what it is. You make him happy." She paused. "It wasn't so long ago that we were sure Logan would never settle down. I just knew he'd turn into the playboy Mitchum used to fancy himself to be and then there would be no turning back. But you changed that." She shrugged helplessly. "You made him realize what his life could be like if he settled down. I don't know how, but you did." She moved to stand toe to toe with Rory. "Thank you for that."

Rory didn't know whether she should laugh or cry. "You're welcome," she said uncertainly.

She nodded. "I have something for you," she said, opening the small clutch she held in her hand. "You can say no, of course, but Emily mentioned you were wearing her mother's earrings today, and I thought perhaps you might like to wear something from our family as well." She held up a tennis bracelet, adorned in diamonds and sapphires. "This belonged to Logan's grandmother. I wore it to my wedding." She tilted her head to the side. "I suppose that could be taken as a bad omen," she said lightly.

Rory smiled and took the bracelet between her fingers. "Thank you," she said as she slipped it onto her wrist. "And for what it's worth, Shira, Logan makes me just as happy as I make him."

"Yes, good." Shira cleared her throat again and the moment was over. Her eyes flickered to her watch. "Well, it's time. I"ll send Lorelai back in."

Rory took a deep shuddering breath as she stared at herself in the mirror again. Her nerves were returning just as quickly as they'd disappeared, and frankly, she didn't care for it. Lorelai came back into the room and smiled widely. "Let's try this whole veil thing again, shall we?"

Before she knew it, Rory found herself standing next to Logan in front of a minister and before all of their friends and family. She couldn't recall the steps she'd taken to get there, but she found herself smiling as Logan reached for her hands. Her fingers curled around his and they stared at each other for so long that the minister had to clear his throat to get their attention; a move that delighted the audience.

The ceremony passed without incident. They had opted for traditional vows over writing their own and neither tripped not stumbled over the words spoken. There was no outburst from Shira, begging them to stop the marriage. Rory wasn't overcome with a bout of nausea that forced her to retreat down the aisle.

In short, it was the perfect wedding. Everything both of their families could have hoped for or wanted for them.

Rory tried to keep a straight face as the minister pronounced them married, but one smirk from Logan as he drew her closer and she came undone; her smile reaching from the corners of her eyes to the curve of her lips. He was millimeters away from kissing her when he turned his head to the side and appraised the minister.

"This is legit this time, right?" he asked with another smile, causing a ripple of soft laughter through the crowd. The minister nodded his confirmation and Logan, satisfied, turned back to Rory. "Just thought I'd make sure this time," he said, his hand finding the small of her back.

"Are you saying you wouldn't marry me again?" she teased lightly. Her eyes fluttered as he leaned down again.

"Every day, Ace," he said seriously, finally bringing his lips to hers. "Every day."

"One more, over here!" Rory and Logan paused in their dance, facing the photographer obligingly. They waited for the flash before turning back into each other.

"Seriously, let's just get out of here," Logan muttered into her cheek. "No one would care if we left."

Rory shook her head and leaned in to kiss him quickly. "You know damned well, we'd be missed. If you remember, you're the one who insisted on a New Year's Eve wedding. You're the one who gave Emily and Shira the ammunition they needed to shoot off fireworks at our wedding. _Fireworks, _Logan," she said sternly, though the tone didn't reach her eyes. "Our wedding is going to have fireworks."

"Yeah, maybe I didn't think that one through. Speaking of Shira." Logan's fingers moved from her hand to the bracelet on her wrist. "Isn't this hers?"

"It is. Your mother paid me a little visit before the ceremony. She was..." Rory paused. "Actually civil. She wanted to thank me."

"Thank you? For?"

"For making you happy," she said simply. "Don't laugh," she protested as he began to chuckle. "I'm serious!"

"Well that's new," Logan admitted. He pulled her close again, kissing her soundly. "You do make me happy," he admitted.

"I'm glad," she said mildly. She rested her head against his for a moment.

"This is where you'd say I make you happy too," Logan reminded her, pulling back. He raised an eyebrow when she merely smiled without anything. "Really, Ace?"

She remained silent for just a few moments more before breaking. "Of course you make me happy," she said softly. "More than you could ever know. More than I knew you could." She pulled him off to a corner of the dance floor and gestured at everything around them. "Is this what I was so scared of? Three years ago, why was I so afraid of this?" She turned into him again. "There is nowhere I'd rather be than right here, Logan."

"Did you ever think we'd get here?" Logan asked, as they began dancing again. "Right here, to this exact spot, dancing at our wedding?"

She considered his question, tilting her head to the side. "Three years ago, the first time you had asked me?" She shook her head. "No, I don't think we would have." She pressed her fingers to his lips when he began to protest. "I wasn't ready, neither of us were. And then you showed up last year and Logan, from the moment I saw you at that country club, I knew we were far from over. Did I think we'd end up here?" She shrugged. "I'd hoped, but I wasn't going to get carried away."

"Because we both knew that I would."

Rory laughed. "You showed up in Stars Hollow, with your grand plans, _begging _me to take you back."

"You played it pretty cool."

"I was playing it safe." She shook her head and laughed again. "I think we both knew I was going to cave before your deadline hit."

"You scared me a couple of times," he reminded her.

"I scared me a couple of times," she admitted. She leaned forward and kissed him again, her lips lingering against his. "I'm not going to lie to you, I knew I was going to marry you the moment you kissed me outside of that town meeting."

He reared his head back, pretending to look angry. "For knowing that, you put me through a lot of crap over those two weeks."

"Don't ruin my moment," she admonished him with a smile. "If you must know, I am sorry for all of the crap I put you through, but neither of us would change a minute of those two weeks, you know this."

"Well, maybe I'd take back the fight in the City," Logan admitted. "But you're right, everything else was worth it, if it brought us here."

"We are turning into a couple of saps, Mr. Huntzberger," she teased. "We need to be careful." She raised an eyebrow as he bent his head to her ear, whispering a sentiment that was anything _but _sappy, one that tinged her cheeks pink and warmed her from the inside out.

"I'm many things, Mrs. Huntzberger, a sap is not one of them." His hand trailed down her arm, running dangerously close to skimming the underside of her breasts. "Have I mentioned how much I'd like to get out of here?" he asked again.

"Soon," she promised. A glance at Logan's watch told them there were fifteen minutes left before midnight. She figured it would be socially acceptable for them to leave within the hour, but she let him know she was just as anxious as he was.

"Your mom keeps staring at us," Logan noted as Shira and Emily's wedding planner began ushering everyone out onto the balcony as the minutes ticked down. "At you, particularly."

"Really?" Rory hummed indifferently. He was right, Lorelai was watching them like hawks, waiting for any indication that she had shared her news with Logan. Something she had not yet done, and wasn't sure how she was even going to. The more she thought about it, the more she figured she'd just wait until the right moment came about.

"One more minute til the new year," Logan said, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her against his chest. "I have to say, as far as years go, it's going to be hard to top this one, don't you think?"

Well she certainly hadn't expected him to give her such an opening, but Rory figured she better take it and run with it.

"Oh I may have another surprise or two up my sleeve" she said, craning her neck back to look back and up at him. Her hands fell to the one he had draped across her middle for a moment and she smiled as the crowd around them began to count back from ten. She squeezed his hand for a second and then twisted in his arms, looking him directly in the eye with a smile.

"In fact, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, here we are. Not quite a year after I started this story, but finally, it's finished! Again, thank you so, so much for reading, and while this may not necessarily wrap things up, it was definitely fun to write. What I wanted most, when I started writing this story, was to complete something fluffy, something happy... much like every single Holiday movie out there. Was there a lot of substance to this story? Probably not, but it was fun as hell to write. I can only hope it was as much fun to read!


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